Kayla Mack
Kayla Mack, a 2009 graduate of Elk River High School, is working toward becoming a nurse anesthetist.
She recently completed her application for her master’s program, and she plans on going for her doctorate for nurse practitioner to achieve her goal.
Mack knew in high school she wanted to go into the health care field and knew of a variety of degrees fields, but she said she didn’t realize there was a public health major that could be done at the same time as her other major.
“That would have been a nice addition to my education,” she said.
To prepare for postsecondary education, Mack took several AP classes.
She said it was helpful, but she said she would have also have benefited more from attending college classes while in high school through the Postsecondary Enrollment Option.
“I attended the University of Minnesota, and it was a shock to adjust to the expectations of the college courses,” she said.
Her parents encouraged her throughout high school to be involved in high school and work, which forced her to prioritize.
“That was invaluable,” she said.
Mack said a career exploration fair “would have given me an idea of the areas I could focus on in my secondary education in order to be better prepared for college and beyond.”
Kenneth Tietz
Kenneth Tietz, a 2014 Elk River High School graduate, has aspirations of becoming a firefighter.
To prepare for college, Tietz said he worked a lot and took classes that would help him prepare. One notable class was advanced public speaking.
One thing he would have done differently is taken AP classes and other college credit classes.
He found his success in getting his homework and assignments done on time and being prepared for class.
Tietz’s suggestion for the parents, the school district and the community to help high school students prepare for their future is to focus more on the learning and less on the grades.
“Great grades come from learning,” he said.
One missed opportunity he wishes would have been addressed during high school was a chance to not only meet with firefighters but fire chiefs. He said a career fair might have been able to facilitate such an experience.
Mary Elmquist
Mary Elmquist, who graduated from Elk River High School, is pursuing a career in elementary education and coaching. She’s always wanted to become an elementary school teacher and she’s getting close to her goal as she is now a college sophomore.
Good study habits and time management skills she picked up in high school have helped her in college.
“My parents (pushed) me to do my best and were always there to support when I needed it,” Elmquist said. “Being an athlete, they were able to support me through athletics but also through academics.”
Although a career in teaching has been a dream of hers since she was a little kid, she said she suspects a career exploration fair might have caused her take an adventure out of her comfort zone.
Taylor Gauthier
Taylor Gauthier, a 2013 graduate of Elk River High School, is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in history with a double minor in criminology and ethics. He hopes those will be steps toward law school and a practice as a prosecutor.
He said he hopes to graduate from his undergraduate program a semester early and be able to start law school by spring of 2017.
“I never thought I would pursue a career in the law field, but after being able to take a few law-type classes, I discovered that it was a perfect fit for me,” he said. “Those kinds of options or classes were not available in high school. I have learned that there are so many more options to pursue besides the core subjects taught in high school. You just have to be open to anything.”
Gauthier took as many AP classes as he could and took a few PSEO classes his senior year, which allowed him to prepare for college while gaining college credit.
“My parents provided so much support when it came to my education,” Gauthier said. “They pushed me to do well in all my classes and to pursue the rigorous work that came with AP and PSEO classes. They were always there to help me out when I got a bad grade on a test and remind me that there is so much more to my education than just the grade. The experience and knowledge gained from each and every class is worthwhile even if it does not reflect in your grade.”
Gauthier said, given a chance to do it over, he would research different colleges and careers earlier.
“It snuck up on me my senior year, and I was very overwhelmed with all the choices for colleges, especially when I did not know what I wanted to major in, let alone what I wanted to pursue for a career,” he said. “Talk to your counselor, teachers, parents to decide what you value most in your education and what ideas you have a possible major or career. Explore, do a little research, and find out what works best for you.”
Gauthier said it’s important for parents, the school district and the community to stress the importance of education and doing well in school.
“It will open so many more doors than ever imagined,” he said. “Also, it will give a person as many options as possible for postsecondary education. You never know what a student will pick as the path as their future. Be open to anything and do not limit the student to the standard path.”
Gauthier said a career exploration fair would have been very helpful in high school.
“I went through a lot of potential careers before deciding on law, simply because I did not know it was an option,” he said. “A career fair would have gave me more options and taken away a lot of the stress of deciding on a potential career.”
Leah Waite
Leah Waite, a 2013 graduate from Elk River High School, wants to work in advertising but said she won’t be picky. She’s going to school for marketing communications.
She already earned her associate’s degree and is one semester in at University of Wisconsin- River Falls.
She chose the school after learning it had a program that combined both marketing and communications and gives a lot of real-world and up-to-date education.
Waite took AP classes in high school and made sure she stayed busy.
“A lot of my high school experience was spent working, doing sports and other extracurricular activities,” she said. “I also spent my senior year of high school doing PSEO at Anoka-Ramsey Community College. I graduated with over a year of college under my belt.
“PSEO was the biggest helper. I spent a lot less money and finished my generals degree before going to a university.”
Waite said she thinks a career exploration fair could have been a tremendous help to her.
“There are certainly a ton of jobs that high school students are very unaware of,” she said. “I also hope that the career fair hosts jobs that require technical degrees, because I grew up being told I need a bachelor’s degree, and I have found (though I am going for one) that I would still have plenty of options with a technical college experience.”
Tayler Edwards
Tayler Edwards, a 2010 graduate of Elk River High School, is two years away from a degree in nursing from Winona State University.
Now that she’s in her degree program, she realizes there is an unbelievable number of occupations and programs that she had no idea about prior to attending.
“The most intriguing thing that I learned is that there are over 230 different clubs here at Winona State.
“So no matter what my interests are in, there is bound to be something on that club list that I would enjoy participating in,” she said. “I also learned that there are many positions on campus that are reserved as student employment positions. I was proactive enough freshman year to find a job on campus in the performing arts center as a costume shop assistant for my sophomore year until I graduate. On-campus jobs are very understanding that you are a student and they work around your class schedule, which is not guaranteed everywhere.”
Edwards’ advice is not go to a four-year college until you know what program you want to be in.
“Some occupations do not require the full four-year degree and others require eight-plus years of education,” she said. “I think it is really important to fully understand all of the steps that you will have to take to get to the occupation that you want before you start paying for your education.”
Parents, the school district and the community should collaborate to seek and provide job shadowing opportunities for certain occupations.
“Then they can see a real-life example before they dedicate two to four years of their life or more to an education in one specific area.”
Edwards said she thinks a career exploration fair would be helpful, too.
“It’s always good to see what all the options are that are available to you,” she said.
She added: “Seeing the different options can help you see what you most definitely do not want to do and that makes you one step closer to seeing what you actually want to do.
“It also might eliminate any second guesses during college and prevented me from almost switching majors. It is great to have an opportunity to explore your options before it is costing you thousands of dollars to do so.”