Work Study Program Helps Garry Students Choose Career Path

Thu., March 19, 1998

By Kevin Blocker kevinb@spokesman.com

JeniferRudisill can thank Garry Middle School for helping her make a monumental career decision.

As part of Garry’s “School to Career” program, Rudisill paid a visit to Dr. Michael Leinweber at the Garland Animal Clinic last week.

After watching a dog and cat undergo surgery and witnessing another dog get its teeth cleaned, Rudisill is now ready to pursue a career in teaching.

“Ugh!” Rudisill said of the surgeries. “I didn’t think they did that stuff to animals. I don’t think I could be a vet.”

Leinweber said Rudisill isn’t the first student to come to the clinic and decide that being a vet was something they didn’t want to do.

“It’s a very good opportunity to realize, ‘I better not get into something I don’t like,”’ Leinweber said.

On March 10, Rudisill and her Garry classmates got a chance to see what careers they might want to follow. They also got a chance to take a peek at high school and college life.

Some spent a day with juniors at Rogers High School while others went onto the campus of Eastern Washington University to get a taste of college life.

In the workplace, some students went to the Kaiser plant at Mead, and two groups of students got a chance to see the inner workings of auto sales at Wendle Ford at the Division Y and at Northtown.

Last Wednesday’s event was the fourth in a series of five field-day sessions for Garry’s seventh and eighth graders.

Instead of having the professionals come to school and talk about what they do, the students go to their worksites and see for themselves, said Leslie Sturdivant, Garry’s School to Career Coordinator.

Money for the program came from a grant from the federal government.

Each District 81 school was given the option to use the money as it deemed necessary for career-oriented programs, Sturdivant said.

“I think this is something that can really benefit the kids,” she said. “They get a chance to see how the work-a-day world operates by actually getting out there.”

As for Rudisill, she said hanging out with adults in the workplace tends to make her somewhat eager to hurry up and become an adult.

“I can’t wait to have a job and a family,” Rudisill said. “But I don’t think I’ll be able to support them by being a vet.”

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