DuBois Area High School Gifted teacher Mike Yamrick observes, front to back, Noah Knarr of DuBois, Cooper Sheffer from Redbank Valley, and Matt Gabler of DuBois, as they complete an exercise in the Earth Science Gifted Workshop. (Provided photo)
DUBOIS – A total of 20 middle and high school students in grades seven through twelve who are enrolled in gifted programs at area school districts visited Penn State DuBois on Tuesday.
They got an up-close look at some career options that may be available to them by attending Gifted Workshops featuring business and earth science degree programs.
The workshops included hands-on activities that introduced students to these specific fields of study and offered a glimpse at what college students in these programs learn.
Faculty members form these programs also spoke to the students about careers they could qualify for with these degrees. Participating school districts were DuBois Area, Brockway and Redbank Valley.
“Many of these students are unsure of what they want to be when they grow up, so providing them an opportunity to explore options that are available to them close to home may help inspire them to find a program that is a good fit for them,” said Penn State DuBois Admissions Counselor Holli Lashinsky.
“We want them to experience things they’ve never experienced, and maybe develop an interest in a career that they didn’t even know existed. Or, maybe some of them knew these fields existed, but needed more exposure to see if they’re truly interested. It helps young students find a career path that is a good fit for them, and helps prepare them for success in the future.”
In the business workshop, students explored sales and marketing in a program called Play-Doh Factory, in which teams created products using Play-Doh, and competed against one another to sell their products.
In the Earth Science workshop, students learned about tracking earthquakes and exploring the subsurface of the earth with desktop activities utilizing models to simulate landscapes.
A secondary gifted teacher from DuBois Area High School, Mike Yamrick said, “This is a fun, hands-on learning experience. It introduces them to some new fields.  It’s never too early to open their eyes to their options. Many of them wait until college before figuring out what they want to do; here, they’re getting some early exposure.”
