Ti Alliance opens students' eyes to career opportunities

TICONDEROGA | Though there are many benefits to small-town life, there is one drawback for youngsters- being able to envision their future career path. With a limited lens and only a seemingly handful of job opportunities in the area, many high school graduates leave town and never return after college. Ticonderoga Revitalization Alliance (TRA) is aiming to change that trajectory with their Professionals in the Classroom program. "When you grow up in a rural environment it's hard to dream about your future career," revealed TRA Executive Director, Donna Wotton. "You have some idea of what a teacher, nurse, police officer, dentist, lunch monitor, or mill worker does. Those are the jobs of your parents and others around you. But you don't know what you don't know about how the world works. It's hard to dream of other exciting and fulfilling work when you have no frame of reference beyond what you see in your teenage life." According to Wotton, Ti-Alliance's Professionals in the Classroom (PITC) challenges students to be curious about the world and imagine themselves in all kinds of professions. "This winter we've been bringing speakers into the big conference room and inviting all students to join an interesting lunch and learn career discussions," Wotton said. Recently Emily Phillips, who lives in Essex, NY and enjoys her fascinating work as an art conservator in the North Country, treated students to a riveting presentation about her exciting occupation that combines art, art history, forensics, chemistry, imagining, and teamwork to preserve and restore important art and objects. Phillips, who has worked in some of the most prominent museums in San Francisco, Boston, Cleveland, and Washington, DC, did a live demonstration of UV imaging revealing hidden mysteries in a painting (and her drivers license), talked about the excitement of art and science coming together on artwork from all over the country. Phillips shared an especially interesting project that showed a timelapse video about how she and her team removed a 60-foot mural painted on a flat wall, and reinstalled it on a curved wall in another building, without a wrinkle. "The students had so many questions about Emily's work and loved the session with her," Wotton said. Phillips will be returning via a virtual tour for students of the conservation labs at the Cleveland Museum of Art (the equivalent of a Students in the Field trip). Ticonderoga's own Dr. Katie Alexander of Ticonderoga Animal Hospital recently shared her path to becoming a veterinarian and her goal of opening a local animal shelter. "Students were especially interested in how they could get involved in caring for some of the animals at her office," Wotton said. "With both internships and volunteer opportunities available, students didn't hesitate to contact her afterward." Professionals in the Classroom augments TRA's Students in the Field Program, which coordinates field trips so students can witness first hand how things work in a profession of given interest. One great example of this program in action is the trip high school students will take this month to tour Modern Welding School in Schenectady following the CEO's visit to Rick Merrill's technology class. Next up for Professional in the Classroom will be "Next Generation Farming in the North Country" and a visit with the New York State Canal System. To learn more about TRA's Career Exploration program, follow the Ti-Alliance social media pages (Facebook: @revitalizeticonderoga Instagram: @ti_alliance), and visit www.ticonderoga-alliance.org/skilled-workforce. Professionals interested in sharing their career with students are encouraged to contact fuller.melinda@gmail.com.

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Ti Alliance opens students' eyes to career opportunities

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