Earlier this month, seventh and eighth-grade students from the Sheboygan Area School District visited Lakeshore Technical College for the Explore Your Future Event, in partnership with the Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce. Students took a unique personality test and were given results that guided them to explore careers well-suited to their personality type. They learned about careers that they found interesting, and even paths they never thought about exploring prior to the event.

Eliyah Boehmer, an eighth-grade student at Urban Middle School, shared, "My favorite part about the LTC trip was meeting others interested in my chosen field. You meet so many people to talk to that have your exact interests. My test and trip led me toward two jobs I had never considered - theater director and adoption counselor. I spent the day listening to people in those fields, watching demonstrations, and asking questions about the jobs. I now have two jobs I am very interested in. I had such a fun and educational experience and I am very grateful I got to participate in it."

Ms. Leighanne Metter-Jensen, Youth Tutoring Youth/Education Pathways Coordinator at North High School, and Bo Thao, Employee Experience Specialist for the district, invited several current high school students from both North and South High to present to the middle schoolers in attendance about becoming future educators.

The high school students shared their experiences with various programs within the district such as Kidstop, Educators Rising, and Youth Tutoring Youth, as well as job shadowing with teachers within the district in the level/subject area of their interest while attending high school. The benefits of these programs are exponential - not only do they gain real-life experience of what a teacher does on a daily basis, but they also have the opportunity to earn college credits.

Jeremy Schwarten, a member of the district Information Technology (IT) department, also presented at the event. As a former Marine for the United States Marine Corps, he shared his personal pathway of both attending college and serving in the military to gain the skills and education needed for his position. He also explained to the students about his experience as an Audio Visual Technician for the last 8+ years within the district.

Sheboygan Area School District students and staff greatly enjoyed this experience and the information they learned and shared, and we look forward to partnering with LTC and the Chamber of Commerce for future events.