Kirtland Hosts Annual 8th Grade Career Exploration Day at Grayling
Kirtland Community College was home to more than 800 students on Friday, April 21, 2023 during their 8th Grade Career Exploration Day event. The annual interactive event involved 12 area middle schools and had established sessions for students to explore possible future career options.
“The event is a great way for students to choose and explore topics they are interested in,” said Kirtland Community College Admissions Coordinator Cesalee Kuffel. “It is a great way for students to get excited about learning and get a sneak peek into careers they may want to pursue in the future.”
Kirtland’s 8th Grade Career Exploration Day takes place once a year in which the school utilizes all of their Grayling campus to allow students a chance to explore the many career fields that are available through a Kirtland education. Providing 26 topic sessions, each session having 4 rounds, students were exposed to a vast array of career options with hands-on activities. Session topics included, but were not limited to, careers in skilled trades, the medical field, sports management and science, history, biology, and computer technology.
“Most of the sessions are hands-on and students get to weld, dissect, gown-up in the ER, use the ultrasound equipment, do fingerprinting, work in the auto lab and so much more,” said Kuffel.
Along with exposing students to future career options, 8th Grade Career Exploration Day also exposes students to the college life. Students were required to navigate the Grayling campus with provided maps, interact with professors teaching topics that college level students would receive, and participate in a wide variety of hands-on activities such as surgical equipment feminization, ultra sound readings, cosmetology techniques, and automotive repair and maintenance.
Stacy Shaw, a teacher in attendance from Charleston Heston Academy, located in St. Helen,MI., stated that events such as these open the eyes of young students to opportunities they may develop a passion for later on in life.
“It [Kirtland’s 8th Grade Career Exploration Day] can open a lot of eyes, opportunities, and if they [students] have a slight desire for something, this can then set that desire on fire,” said Shaw. “Not everyone knows if college is for them and this is a great opportunity for someone to take a class and say ‘you know what, maybe I do want to go to college’.”
Lucas Deforge, another teacher in attendance from Gaylord Community Schools, located in Gaylord, MI., added that the exposure students receive by coming to Kirtland’s event is ‘huge’ in showing students what college can offer.
“It [8th Grade Career Exploration Day] gives them a general view of what college is like. They do not get those experiences early on and can be miss lead by what they see online,” said Deforge. “So being able to come in and see for themselves what its about, what its like, is huge for them.”
Kirtland Community College plans to continue hosting the annual 8th Grade Career Exploration Day event in hopes of further educating and exposing students to the options that await them through higher education.
