Posted 2:36 pm Monday, February 06, 2012
Tyler High School Students Delve Into Job Shadows At Local Businesses
By EMILY GUEVARA
Staff Writer
Sammy, a 20-pound black cat, lay on all fours as a veterinary technician held him still and Dr. Laura Cauthen put an IV in his leg.
Staff Writer
Sammy, a 20-pound black cat, lay on all fours as a veterinary technician held him still and Dr. Laura Cauthen put an IV in his leg.
“It's all right, baby,” technician Rachel Jackson said as Dr. Cauthen worked on the cat. Sammy was at the Animal Medical Center of Tyler to get his teeth cleaned as well as a mass removed from his side. But before any work could begin he had to be prepared for general anesthesia.
As Dr. Cauthen and her technicians readied the feline for the procedures, administered two shots, prepared the surgical area and dealt with calls from other pet owners about their animals.
All the while, three Tyler high school students looked on. Amber Telscher, 18, Keyana Hall, 17, and Juan Araiza, also 17, watched and learned as Dr. Cauthen described what she and the technicians were doing, and what was going to happen.
The students were among about 150 from Smith County public and private schools that got close-up views of potential careers during the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce's annual Groundhog Day Job Shadow.
The event, which has been going on locally for about 15 years, allows students, primarily juniors and seniors, to see what it might be like to work in a field of their choice.
This year more than 50 locations were scheduled to be a part of the event. These included schools, hospitals, car dealerships, veterinary offices, engineering and design companies, a horse park and more.
Henry Bell, chief operating officer for the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce, said for some students the day serves as a way to get their foot in the door at a business and sometimes leads to an internship opportunity or possibly a job in the future.
“It just helps the students get a feel for is this the type of employment they want to continue their education in,” he said. “Often times, partnerships are developed. (Companies) may hire kids to be interns. Businesses are real interested in finding employees that can be trained to do the work they need to do.”
Miss Telscher, a Robert E. Lee High School senior, said she has wanted to become a veterinarian since she was a child. She plans to attend Texas A&M University where she will major in animal science and apply for vet school.
She said she already occasionally shadows her own pets' vet, but she said this job shadowing experience just confirmed her desire to enter the field and she has the constitution to make it in the profession.
“You can always say you want to be a vet, but you never know if you can actually do it,” she said. “Like oh you're helping a dog, but you don't know if you can actually be the person to stitch them up, cut them open, to see if you're able to handle (it).”
Miss Hall, a Lee junior, said she always has had animals and wanted to help them. She has five dogs and said she participates in her schools veterinary tech program.
Araiza, a Bishop T.K. Gorman junior, said the day was interesting because of the variety of things that they saw. These included watching the vet decapitate a skunk (the head had to be sent off for rabies testing after two dogs killed it), conduct dental work and a mass removal on a cat, and see a hairless cat named Michelangelo.
“The whole day there was just unexpected and … kind of fun,” Araiza said. “And everything they did there was interesting, so I enjoyed it today.”
Araiza said while growing up, he collected stray animals of all kinds.
“I had a squirrel, a bunch of dogs, a mole at one point,” he said. Now he has a rat and he has had five or seven geckos.
“I've always loved animals, and everybody always said I should be a vet,” he said.
He said he hopes to start out working with small animals then work his way up to large and maybe exotic ones.
“Working at a zoo, that's always kind of an interest,” he said.
Across town at Allen Samuels East Texas Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Hyundai, five students showed up to shadow employees.
Chapel Hill High School junior Tiara Thompson, 17, worked in the business office alongside billing clerk Derrah Helms.
Miss Thompson, who is interested in pursuing a career in accounting or finance, assisted Ms. Helms as she proofed paperwork related to purchases.
In the service area, Chapel Hill senior Jonathan Cruz, 18, and The Brook Hill School junior Kemp Walker, 15, were prepared to spend the afternoon in the body shop observing work.
Although Cruz plans to study architecture, he also has an interest in auto mechanics and body work. Kemp said he is interested in auto mechanics. He said he was surprised to see how many parts there are to a vehicle. Cruz said after spending the morning with Hyundai technicians he was impressed with the technology of that car.
The event, which has been going on locally for about 15 years, allows students, primarily juniors and seniors, to see what it might be like to work in a field of their choice.
This year more than 50 locations were scheduled to be a part of the event. These included schools, hospitals, car dealerships, veterinary offices, engineering and design companies, a horse park and more.
Henry Bell, chief operating officer for the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce, said for some students the day serves as a way to get their foot in the door at a business and sometimes leads to an internship opportunity or possibly a job in the future.
“It just helps the students get a feel for is this the type of employment they want to continue their education in,” he said. “Often times, partnerships are developed. (Companies) may hire kids to be interns. Businesses are real interested in finding employees that can be trained to do the work they need to do.”
Miss Telscher, a Robert E. Lee High School senior, said she has wanted to become a veterinarian since she was a child. She plans to attend Texas A&M University where she will major in animal science and apply for vet school.
She said she already occasionally shadows her own pets' vet, but she said this job shadowing experience just confirmed her desire to enter the field and she has the constitution to make it in the profession.
“You can always say you want to be a vet, but you never know if you can actually do it,” she said. “Like oh you're helping a dog, but you don't know if you can actually be the person to stitch them up, cut them open, to see if you're able to handle (it).”
Miss Hall, a Lee junior, said she always has had animals and wanted to help them. She has five dogs and said she participates in her schools veterinary tech program.
Araiza, a Bishop T.K. Gorman junior, said the day was interesting because of the variety of things that they saw. These included watching the vet decapitate a skunk (the head had to be sent off for rabies testing after two dogs killed it), conduct dental work and a mass removal on a cat, and see a hairless cat named Michelangelo.
“The whole day there was just unexpected and … kind of fun,” Araiza said. “And everything they did there was interesting, so I enjoyed it today.”
Araiza said while growing up, he collected stray animals of all kinds.
“I had a squirrel, a bunch of dogs, a mole at one point,” he said. Now he has a rat and he has had five or seven geckos.
“I've always loved animals, and everybody always said I should be a vet,” he said.
He said he hopes to start out working with small animals then work his way up to large and maybe exotic ones.
“Working at a zoo, that's always kind of an interest,” he said.
Across town at Allen Samuels East Texas Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Hyundai, five students showed up to shadow employees.
Chapel Hill High School junior Tiara Thompson, 17, worked in the business office alongside billing clerk Derrah Helms.
Miss Thompson, who is interested in pursuing a career in accounting or finance, assisted Ms. Helms as she proofed paperwork related to purchases.
In the service area, Chapel Hill senior Jonathan Cruz, 18, and The Brook Hill School junior Kemp Walker, 15, were prepared to spend the afternoon in the body shop observing work.
Although Cruz plans to study architecture, he also has an interest in auto mechanics and body work. Kemp said he is interested in auto mechanics. He said he was surprised to see how many parts there are to a vehicle. Cruz said after spending the morning with Hyundai technicians he was impressed with the technology of that car.
