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Feature article

Students shadow professionals to sample careers

Article and pictures by Tammy Lane
March 3, 2008

Law enforcement’s sophisticated equipment and investigative technology won over the youngsters who spent a morning touring the Lexington Division of Police.

Officers Dan Edge and Marty Parks demonstrate how they maneuver their horses for crowd control. Nine middle school students toured the Division of Police as part of Groundhog Job Shadow Day. View a slideshow of more pictures.

  “I feel more safe now that I’ve seen all this stuff,” said Joseph Lockwood of Crawford Middle School, who was among more than 140 FCPS students visiting Thursday with local professionals and businesses.
  Junior Achievement of the Bluegrass organized the eighth annual Groundhog Job Shadow Day, always held in February. “This lets the eighth-graders see firsthand if truly ‘Yes, this is what I want to do when I get older,’” said Lynn Hudgins, JA president.
  The students who chose to shadow the police seemed impressed overall.
  “We’ve increased a lot in technology,” Anton Miller of Morton Middle School said after his group stopped by the forensics lab, where investigators pulled fingerprints off a homemade silencer.
  The nine students also got a look at a Segway scooter, mounted patrol, SWAT team equipment and K-9 unit.
  “Every student should have this opportunity to figure out what career they want,” Quierra Smothers of Winburn Middle School said as they gathered next to a mobile crime lab vehicle.
  Officer Steven Gaunce, who was involved in Junior Achievement as a youth, gladly agreed to help host the students. “It opens their minds a little bit to other jobs,” he said.
  JA paired students with professionals based on the kids’ career preferences. The shadowing options ranged from architects to attorneys, from chefs to TV broadcasters.
  Matt Anderson, an assistant graphic designer at Keeneland, planned to offer the teens a taste of design and photography both in print programs and sales. “It’s a nice chance to see people at work and see how they interact,” he said at the kickoff breakfast.
  Schools Superintendent Stu Silberman welcomed the participants and hosts at The Red Mile clubhouse. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go out and see what your future career might look like,” he told the students.
  For two girls, it looked rather furry and scaly.
  Savannah Pennington of Jessie M. Clark Middle School and Anahita Bahrami of Beaumont Middle School spent the morning at a veterinarian’s office.
  “I’ve always wanted to do something with medicine,” said Anahita, who plans to volunteer this summer in a vet clinic.
  They got some hands-on experience Thursday at the Pennyroyal Small and Exotic Animal Hospital, where they petted an iguana that had swallowed a metal washer and checked on a dog with a tumor.
  “I’ve always said I wanted to be a vet, and I want to see if I really do,” Savannah said.
  Lisa Jones, an account executive at Adecco of Central Kentucky, could identify with the students since she has a teenage daughter thinking about college and careers.
  “In high school, they have to start making critical decisions about their life,” Jones noted.
  That’s why Junior Achievement offers Job Shadow Day, which gives eighth-graders an up-close look at what a “real job” is like and shows them how the skills they learn in school are put to use in the workplace.

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