Finding the right

WYN-ing career
By Scott Nicholson

Watauga Youth Network students got a sampling of local careers, from the military to education to recreation, during a Thursday event at the old Cove Creek School in Sugar Grove.

About 40 students participated in the event, which WYN director Jennifer Grubb said grew from an Americorps program.

“It gives kids an introduction to all the things they could be doing in the community,” she said. It’s the third year of WYN’s Career Day, organized by Angela McCann.

Careers represented included the U.S. Army, Brooks Plumbing & Heating, Appalachian State University chancellor Kenneth Peacock, the Watauga County school system, ASU athletics training, Rock Dimensions, High Country Conservancy, GoodGuy Mechanics and the National Park Service.

Youths asked about the necessary education levels and salary levels for each type of job, and received an introduction to the types of careers they could have. They also asked about work hours, typical work days and responsibilities.

Park ranger David A. Bauer told students he had the authority to arrest people if they were doing something illegal or dangerous, even if they weren’t on national park property. He described his job as a mixture of policeman, firefighter, and guide.

WYN student Aaron Richie said he’s still deciding on his career and said the presenters were “really nice.”

Kelsey McQueen, a seventh grader at Cove Creek who wants to be a mechanic, said. “It’s letting me know what kind of education I need and what I’m going to be looking for when I get my education.”

DeShawn Grimes, a sixth grader at Hardin Park Elementary School, said he might enter the military like his father, though he was also interested in rock climbing.

Sgt. Mike Tice, a U.S. Army recruiter, said he wanted to show the military was a career that kept him in Boone, though some soldiers travel. “I just want to show that we’re human, that we’re part of the community,” Tice said. “My wife and I live here and I have a job to do.”

Peacock said he welcomed the chance to teach youngsters about the value of education. “Education is transforming in your life,” he said. “It opens up a lot of opportunities and it’s a lot of fun.”

He said the WYN students had a lot of different interests, from recreation to sports, and he said all of them could be pursued at ASU. He also said “the world changes a whole lot,” so new careers, academic programs and travel are always needed.

The WYN afterschool program is for sixth through eighth graders, operating out of two locations: Cove Creek Elementary School for the western end of the county and the Boone United Methodist Church for the eastern portion of the county.