“I don’t know what I want to do in the future, so my mom suggested that this program would help me.” Sophomore Liz Wright may have a couple of years before she graduates high school, but she’s already preparing for the future. Liz, along with several 9-12 students in Wyoming County, participated in a pilot program for the Wyoming County Youth Leadership Academy, organized by the Wyoming County Business Education Council and Wyoming County Youth Bureau.
Interested students had to apply to the program and sit through interviews before being selected. The program required that students spend Wednesdays from September to May focusing on specific career paths, including healthcare, law, skilled trades, human services, entrepreneurship, hospitality, and agriculture. Liz found the Skilled Trades Day very beneficial because the visit to Cole Construction and LandPro Equipment in Silver Springs pushed her out of her comfort zone. She learned how to weld and operate heavy machinery that day.
“It was a helpful experience because instead of learning about something online, we were actually doing it,” she said.
Liz also really enjoyed the trip to Wyoming County Community Health System in Warsaw, where students toured the hospital’s various departments, visited the nutrition department, and learned about unique medical cases. Leadership Academy helped Liz decide that she wanted to pursue a career in Psychology and Criminology.
In addition to Liz, PCS students Peyton Hudson, Keira Weber, and Bryce Tallman participated in the program. For the final meeting in May, the group visited Camp Asbury in Perry for team building activities and a ropes course. A graduation ceremony was held for students on June 3. Liz would recommend the program to other students.
“This program was like ‘A Day in the Life’ and showed me that I could find a job locally. This helped show me how a lot of careers tie together.”