'Invest in you': Forest Hills students hear about careers in social sciences
Dec. 5—SIDMAN, Pa. — Forest Hills High School students heard from a panel of social services professionals on Monday in an effort to expose the learners to the numerous careers available.
"We want to invest in you so you can then invest in the community," AmeriCorps Regional Coordinator Theresa Wolf said.
She was one of four professionals who addressed the students through program offered by Pennsylvania Highlands Community College.
Employers represented ranged from PA CareerLink to the Cambria County Prison and The Learning Lamp.
Each took turns talking about several subjects, including their own occupations, as well as the different levels of education required for various positions.
A paraprofessional in a school requires a high school diploma or college certificate and could make between $17,000 and $36,000 per year, while a social worker needs at least a bachelor's degree and could earn $27,000 on the low end and $62,000 on the high end, the students were told.
Other information provided showed the group that many local organizations, such as Goodwill of the Southern Alleghenies and United Way of the Laurel Highlands and more, offer paid externships.
Conemaugh Hospital Social Services and Cambria County Child Development Corp. are among the agencies offering guaranteed interviews.
"This is just to give you an idea of the opportunities," Penn Highlands admission specialist Hannah Ross said.
Traci Hirsch, high school guidance counselor at Forest Hills, said it was good for the students to get exposed to different career options.
"Anytime we can get information out to kids about job opportunities and life outside of high school ... it's good for them," she said.
Monday's presentation targeted the older students at the school and on Wednesday the younger cohorts will hear from the presenters.
A key point of the presentation was letting the group know that they could pursue these type of careers without leaving the area.
One benefit to staying local, the presenters noted, was the affordable cost of living in the region.
Senior Audrey Peretin said it was valuable to hear about the various jobs.
"They knew what they were talking about and if it gets to the right person it's going to go a long way," she said.
Peretin said while she appreciated the presentation she already has her eyes set on attending Penn State after high school and studying bio-engineering.
David Lehman, superintendent at Forest Hills, said the goal of the event was to engage the school community and provide students with local employment opportunities.
"Our service-minded programming includes partnerships with various employers and service providers," he said. "The local employers have been very helpful and supportive of this initiative. We have also worked with GapVax and The Challenge Program to promote similar employment opportunities."
