This year Otsego High School is offering a new class that's giving students on-the-job experience now. The students in the Career Pathways class travel to different businesses that match their career interests, and spend two hours of their day exploring the job that they want to pursue.
“This is giving me the opportunity to do the career before you go and study it in college, and decide if that’s what you really want to do,” says Autumn Harris, who is interested in interior design.
Michael Miller is the advisor for this new course that was initially developed by Mary Grile, the OHS Student Success Coordinator. “We saw a need to get more kids out into actual workplaces and explore opportunities in the career pathway they plan to take after high school,” Miller says.
There are eight students enrolled in the course for the first trimester:
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Malia Holmes is working with the Communications Department at OPS; her career interest is sports broadcasting and communications
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Grace Blanchard is working with Armor Physical Therapy; her career interest is physical therapy
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Landen Yocum is working with Auditorium Management at OPS; his career interest is stage and theater management
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Aly Aldrich is working with Peloton Inc.; her career interest is in engineering
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Lily Koehl is working with Timothy Hutchens CPA and Tim Powers PLC; her career interest is in accounting
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Sydney Grile is working with the Otsego/Plainwell Chamber of Commerce; her career interest in political science
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Autumn Harris is working with Wenke Flooring and SKP Designs; her career interest is interior design
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Dylan Robrahn is working with Christian Neighbors and Allegan County Community Foundation (ACCF); his interest is being a Community Organizer
“I’m getting real-world experience and learning about my job hands-on,” says Sydney Grile.
This placement isn’t just a great opportunity, it’s truly teaching them what types of responsibilities and tasks specific careers require. “We are hoping they have a realistic expectation of what their career might look like before they leave high school,” Miller adds.
Right now, this is a one-trimester class open to seniors, but Miller says the goal is to offer it to many more students during their junior or senior year. “We are also looking to set up new relationships with local businesses that are willing to mentor students through their pathway during high school and maybe beyond,” Miller says.
Any student interested in taking this course should talk to their counselor.
If any business or organization is willing to take a student to mentor, please contact Michael Miller at mmiller@otsegops.org.