Alumni help high schoolers focus on career decisions during Junior Conference

Junior Conference keynote speaker Nathan Honeycutt shared his experiences as an architect and encouraged the eleventh graders to think about what their story will be in the future.

“What are you going to be when you grow up?”

Local high school students were given information to help them answer that question and how to get there during the Junior Conference at Tusculum College on Thursday. And Tusculum alumni were among the professionals who shared their experiences with the high school juniors. Among the alumni participating were Katie (McIntyre) Raby ’03 and Mitch Robinson ’04.

Eleventh graders from all five high schools in Greeneville and Greene County attended the second annual event at Tusculum, hosted by the College’s Office of Admission and the Alumni Executive Board.

Welcoming the high school students to campus, Tusculum President Nancy B. Moody encouraged the juniors to pursue education following graduation whether it is at a technical school, a community college, a state university or a private college.

Keynote speaker for the opening session of the conference was Nathan Honeycutt, an owner of Honeycutt Architecture who has been the lead designer on many architectural and master planning projects in the United States, the United Arab Emirates and China.

Honeycutt told the students that he was fortunate in that he knew he wanted to be an architect at an early age, and encouraged them to begin to think about their future. “Today would be a good day to begin,” he said. “What will your story be?”

Those who may be exploring that question of a career should look at what they enjoy doing and even consider the television shows, movies and other activities they enjoy. Honeycutt also told the students to not be afraid of failure, but to persist in pursuing their goals.

At top, Mitch Robinson of Coffman Oil Company led the business session and Brenda Parrish-Dickman of Parrish Property Management, below, led the real estate session.

Following the opening session, the students attended two sessions from the more than 20 college track, vocational track and career track sessions offered.

The career/professional and vocational tracks included such areas as sport management, nursing, education, athletic training, business, law, pharmacy, speech therapy, medical technology respiratory therapy and real estate.

Representatives from Mountain States Health Alliance, Laughlin Memorial Hospital, Wal-Mart Distribution Center, Coffman Oil Company, Parrish Property Management, the Tennessee Technology Center, the Greeneville School System and the Greeneville Astros volunteered their time to lead the sessions.

In the sessions, students learned first-hand about the educational requirements for various careers and positions, income levels and the daily tasks of individuals in those careers and positions.

The College Track sessions, led by Tusculum College staff members, involved sharing information about college admission test preparation, college interviews, financial aid and admission processes and college life.