Discovering Southeast Tech Through Career Connections

from keloland.com

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A program is helping Sioux Falls students on the path to their future careers.

Lincoln High School sophomore Alfred Toe moved to the U.S. from west Africa about two years ago.

“We as immigrants that come from another country, they don’t really know about America. They don’t see the opportunity that it has,” Toe said.

But on Wednesday the 16-year-old learned about the possibilities at Southeast Technical College.

It’s all thanks to the Sioux Falls Development Foundation’s Career Connections Program, which exposes kids to career paths they may have otherwise not known about.

“We’re helping solidify and more define that path after high school,” Denise Guzzetta with the Sioux Falls Development Foundation said.

About 100 Lincoln High School students visited campus Wednesday, seniors who have already applied and been accepted to Southeast Tech and younger students who could potentially earn dual credit in health care, law enforcement, and manufacturing.

“What we want is, we want our students to be skilled because we know that is what our community needs,” Guzzetta said.

Toe is interested in a career in cyber security someday, but Wednesday’s visit is helped him explore what else is out there.

“As teenagers, we don’t get to see much, we’re always inside for school, home, work, but because of this opportunity of this field trip, we get to see the real world. We get to experience what is going on behind the scenes,” Toe said.

The seniors who visited campus have also applied for the Build Dakota scholarship.