Freshman Students Connect the Dots for Success

Nebraska Extension hosted a 4-H college and career readiness program called Connect the Dots March 5 at Sidney High School. More than 135 freshmen students from Sidney, Leyton, Potter-Dix and Banner County High Schools participated in the simulation, which allowed youth to explore college options and potential career paths.

The program kicked off with morning sessions focused on career readiness skills, such as resume building, networking and a skill evaluation activity defining student’s “motivated skills”, those skills that are both of interest and come easy for students.

The afternoon brought a unique, interactive career simulation that allowed youth to step inside a “real life” scenario to pursue a career of interest. Students were given a “Luck of the Draw” card, which dictated their educational background. Some students may have had to navigate a career path from being a high school dropout, while others were eligible to enter a two or four-year College. As the simulation progressed, youth had to obtain the adequate education in order to arrive at their desired job. Round two of the simulation brought added dilemmas, such as finding out your job has been cut or that you are expecting triplets! New paths had to be explored in order to find success.

Six secondary education representatives, including the National Guard, were invited to help students obtain the information they needed to get into the job market. Colleges in attendance were the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), Chadron State College (CSC), Western Nebraska Community College (WNCC), Nebraska Technical College of Agriculture (NCTA), and Eastern Wyoming College (EWC) out of Torrington.

More than 22 community professionals volunteered their time to help guide students to a career path and provide advice on their pursuit of a career beyond high school. Business representatives in attendance were Jenny Adams, Creative Roots Design; Sue Hiett, Cakes N Limo; Jerry Steffens, Sam and Louie’s Pizza; Molly Highby, Highby Forest Products; Lori Rood, Hudalla Associates; Bill Benson, Edward Jones; Dewayne Cook, KSID Radio; Melaney Wieser, Bass Pro Shops; Briston Pereira, Synchrony Financial; Quentin Cranmore and Aaron Balcom, 21st Century Equipment; Denise Wieser, Lukjan Metals; Larry Davis, Simon; Kurt Tremain, Wright’s Trucking & Harvesting; Kristin Schmidt, Sidney Regional Medical Center; Molly Walker and Tara Stull, MARC Medical Air Rescue Company; Melissa Norgard, Sidney’s Economic Development; Nichole Peralta, Karuna Counseling; Adam Frerichs, Cheyenne County Sherriff’s Office; as well as a number of Sidney High School Freshman teachers.

Thanks to the continued support of Tess Plummer with Sidney High School and Lori Biesecker with ESU 13, this program continues to present ninth grade youth with an opportunity to experience the value of education and see the connection to future careers.

For more information about 4-H, Nebraska Extension or the Connect the Dots program, contact Lisa Schumacher at 308-254-4455 or [email protected].