A group of community business leaders, working with the Junior Achievement program, visited Logan County High School on in May to meet with the school’s out-going seniors. While there, the cadre of professionals discussed expectations of future employers and strategies students can utilize to better their chances in the interview process.

Included in the discussions were the 4 Cs (critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity), the importance of strong soft skills, ranking priorities, STEM and other high-growth industries, a personal-brand, and job hunting skills (resumes, cover letters, interviews, and digital profiles). Divided into seven groups, students rotated amongst the professionals to hear short presentations and their questions answered.

Many of the presenters provided hands-on activities to better engage the participants. One of the more popular projects involved seeing which group could best work collaboratively to create the tallest structure from only a few Post Its and some paper clips. Following periods of trial and error, each group had its champions. The winning tower for the day reached 39 inches.

Volunteer presenters for the special day and their affiliated organizations were as follows: Kamarr Richie-- Benchmark Family Services, Teresa White and Cecilia Garcia Rodriguez-- Logan Aluminum, Greg Hale- Logan Telephone, Jo Orange-- Logan County Magistrate, Luke Haley-- Emerson, Paula Timberlake and Tammy Tinsley-- Logan Chamber, Charles Miles Jr.-- Industrial Project & Design LLC, Crystal Berger-- Ventra Plastics, and Abby Phillips-- Junior Achievement.

LCHS counselors, administrators, and Youth Services Center Coordinator Jama Richardson were also available to provide encouragement and help with transitions among activities. A pizza lunch was provided by the LCHS YSC.

Junior Achievement (JA) is a not-for-profit youth organization whose purpose is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. JA works with local businesses and organizations to provide experiential programs on the topics of financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. Junior Achievement of South Central Kentucky (JASCK) serves an 11 county area: Logan, Warren, Simpson, Butler, Allen, Edmonson, Barren, Hart, Metcalfe, Cumberland, and Monroe.