A program at Greenwood High School helps student think of a possible career path at a younger age, and then consider what that job may include a decade later.
The three-year planning process starts when they are sophomores and is the result of the high school overhauling how they were helping students plan. The program is now in its second year.
“It’s one of the reasons we revamped our entire department, to try to address and do a better job of addressing the college and career pathways for students,” Greenwood principal Todd Garrison said. “What we try to do is have our students be more aware of what those opportunities are.”
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Whether it’s attending college or going into the work force, the program is intended to benefit all students and includes chances to experience certain careers through internships.
Garrison’s son, Gunnar, took part of the program’s introduction during the 2017-18 school year.
“He came to me and said, ‘Dad, I’m taking all these tests and I think I want to be an accountant,” Garrison said. “I could have told him he was going to be an accountant when he was in third-grade. He’s very black-and-white. Very good with numbers.
“But guess what? He discovered this on his own, so now it helps with his selection of classes. He takes accounting this year as a junior and filtering through that particular course to see if he has a greater interest.”
Tenth graders begin by taking an introductory course about preparing for college or careers and put together a 10-year plan based on a career they think they are interested in.
“It doesn’t mean that’s where they need to go, but it’s a start. It gets them thinking. It’s the process,” Garrison said. “We teach them the process of going through how to select careers and colleges. They become more focused whether it’s a college program or it’s a career program.”
As juniors, students revisit their 10-year career plan to determine if they are on course in terms of academic achievement and whether it is still their primary interest.
Juniors are prepped by Lisa Laug, the school’s college and career director, for mock interviews conducted by local businesses or residents. She works with them on proper interview attire, non-verbal communication. At the end of August, all 300 students were interviewed inside the high school library.
“I feel so lucky I have been able to transition into this role,” said Laug, who has worked at the high school as a counselor since the 2009-10 school year. “Our administration and our central office are very supportive to have us provide opportunities for our students.
The objective, Garrison said, is for all Greenwood graduates to have a career plan. This semester, 25 seniors are serving internships and about 60 others are attending school half-day before going to a job where they earn paychecks and school credit.
As the program grows, Garrison and Laug want to get a better idea of the career interests of incoming sophomores and develop relationships with local businesses for future internship possibilities.
Junior student Luke Roscoe is currently an intern at his father’s business, Clown Pediatrics in Greenwood. He usually works 5-8 p.m. three days a week.
“Mostly, I’ll do paperwork and filing, but I’ll do some billing, as well,” Luke said. “I’m not totally sure what I want to do yet, but being a pediatrician is definitely one of the possibilities.
“I love working here. One of the main things is seeing how an office runs and being cooperative with the other people working there.”
Greenwood senior Maddy Limbach drives approximately 40 minutes to her internship at Saint Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis. As a member of the Woodmen volleyball program, Limbach’s schedule occasionally changes, though she tries to be there each Monday, Tuesday and Friday.
Limbach, who carries a 4.0 grade-point average, is interested in making a career of treating people.
“I want to go into pre-med and, once I get there, become an orthopedic surgeon,” Limbach said. “I’m a people person and it’s just having that social interaction. I like telling people what to do and making their lives better.”
Joe Bradburn, Greenwood’s internship coordinator, likes aligning students with local employers to give them work experience in a field they’re interested in.
“The biggest value is they can dive into that career and see what’s involved in it,” Bradburn said. “We have people in finance, medical, marketing, stocks, photography and other fields. As a senior, hopefully they can find their niche.”
The number of business partners continues to rise with between 35-40 helping Greenwood students in some capacity over the last two years.
