Throughout the past few weeks, juniors had the opportunity to shadow a job regarding what they wish to go into in the future. Fifty eight students took part in this opportunity. This opportunity was developed by the Blair Businesses and Schools Investing Cooperative Solutions (BASICS Committee), who invited all schools across Blair County to participate. 

“There were so many students from across the county who signed up to participate, not everyone was placed and got a shadowing experience during the designated week. The volunteers who matched students with a shadowing experience are still matching students who did not get placed yet with shadowing experiences,” Counseling Department Chairperson Drew Yingling said. 

Students had to get a permission slip filled out by their parents to be able to participate in this opportunity.

“Eleventh grade students were given this information and were given the opportunity to participate. There were a couple of forms to complete and a parent permission form to return to the guidance office. As long as the students completed the forms and returned them on time, they were added to the list of students selected to go on a job shadowing experience,” Yingling said. 

Junior Kira Boyles went to the UPMC hospital to complete her job shadowing. 

“After high school, I want to go to the Army and become a pediatric nurse,” Boyles said.

Junior Luke Mitchell went to Keller Engineering to job shadow.

“I was interested in doing engineering, and I knew someone who works there. They said they’d let me get in and check out what they do,” Mitchell said. 

This allowed students to learn what skills they would need to go into their chosen field and ask questions.

“They learn what education they would need to obtain the career, salaries, what the person likes about their job and what they may not like and to see what a typical day is like. To be able to experience this from actually being there in person is tremendous. The students had the opportunity to ask the person they shadowed anything about their career,” Yingling said. 

Mitchell got the chance to learn about the different types of engineering and found his favorite type of engineering through job shadowing. 

“They had a lot of jobs set out for us. We learned about architecture, all different types of civil engineering, and transportation engineering. They showed us all different types of jobs that go on in the actual building and it was neat to see how they all worked together. I liked transportation engineering the most. The bridges were pretty cool to see how they were made,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell also got the chance to see the process that goes into engineering. 

“I liked seeing the planning and how they got the information to create the final product,” Mitchell said. 

Boyles is in CTC for Nursing and has learned many skills for healthcare.

“It was a good experience. It was a little traumatizing, but it’s what I do at CTC so what I learned there, I had already learned at CTC,” Boyles said. 

Boyles had the opportunity to meet people who went to the CTC a few years ago. 

“I met two girls who are 21; they went here and went to CTC. It was nice to meet somebody who went here and learn from them,” Boyles said.