Amy Wood,
Senior
West Albany High School

“I never realized I had so many opportunities!”

Amy Wood is a senior at West Albany High School, and like many students her age she is preparing to graduate.  But two years ago Amy was struggling with her grades and losing interest in her education – she wasn’t even sure she would finish high school. As she admitted, “I was hanging out with my friends a lot my sophomore year and not doing very well in school. I just didn’t see the point.”

Today, Amy is graduating with good grades and she is very clear about her career goals and what it’s going to take to achieve them.  Amy was among the first group of juniors to participate in the E3 Partnership for Student Success program at West Albany High School.  The program exposes students to a variety of careers to help them understand the skills required by employers, and help them appreciate why graduating high school is important to their future.  Students visit a wide range of employers during the year and attended weekly meetings to connect their studies with what they learned on the site visits.  Program success factors include increased attendance, improved grades, and a graduation plan for each student.

“Employer site visits are a wonderful way for students to understand there are career opportunities for them when they graduate,” said Jane Marshall, program coordinator for the district. “It is very motivating, and just exposing students to different companies helps open up a world of possibilities.”

One of Amy’s first site visits was with Samaritan Hospital in Albany.  She was immediately taken with the opportunity to help people in need, and was very impressed with the hospital staff that spoke about career opportunities. “I have always loved helping people,” said Amy. “So, I really connected with the hospital visit.”  During the site visit, Amy was introduced to hospital administrators and nurses who showed her around the hospital and talked about different careers in health care.  “This one hospital administrator told us their story about how they started at the bottom,” said Amy.  “They showed me the path I could take if I wanted to be a Nurse. Of course, that would mean additional classes, but it was something I saw as very doable.”

Following the Samaritan site visit, Amy seemed to really focus on her dreams and academics.  “I saw there was an opportunity for me to be a nurse,” said Amy. “It made me really buckle down, which helped my grades, and I got credit for the class!”

AMY UPDATE:  Amy let us know she was just offered a part-time entry-level job with Samaritan Albany Hospital.  She is thrilled to have her foot in the door!  Congratulations Amy, you’re on your way!

Thanks to district coordination and the involvement of many of Albany’s leading employers, the E3 program has been a big success for Amy and many other students.  It’s a great example of how schools and employers can work together to help students learn about a variety of career opportunities and understand the importance of their education. For more information about the Partnership for Student Success program in Albany, contact Jane Marshall by email.