Thinking about your plans for the future and career goals can be overwhelming for many teenagers and young adults. Adding in the daily chaos and struggles that many high school students face can make this next step feel insurmountable. Fortunately for the students attending Clarkston’s Educational Opportunity Center (EOC), Tim Nelson has stepped into the brand-new role of Career Navigator.
Tim began his new position as Career Navigator with the EOC at the end of October 2022. As a one-of-a-kind high school offered by the Clarkston School District, the EOC provides youth ages 14-21 with an alternative to traditional high school. Elece Lockridge, Director of the EOC, says she knew Mr. Nelson would be a fantastic fit and invaluable resource for the EOC when she met him a year prior.
“Our students need hope. ALL students need hope,” Elece says. “The career connected learning that Tim is spearheading could be a lifeline for our kids.”
Career Connected Learning has seen a significant push in the last several years in Washington State, and the Career Navigator role is new for the EOC. The purpose of the position is to find and develop opportunities for students in business and industry. The EOC received a grant to be able to fund the Career Navigator position for one year. As such, Mr. Nelson hit the ground running this past fall working with local businesses and making connections throughout the community.
Mr. Nelson has found the Clarkston business community greatly supportive, with industry connections ranging from fitness, to digital marketing, to cosmetology and more. These industry connections involve more than just bringing in a guest speaker for career day, or the typical career presentation many may have in mind. Local businesses, such as the Clarkston Community Garden and Clarkston Tender Care, have been great partners eager to explore opportunities to provide EOC students with work experience, job shadows, and hands-on learning.
“The vision is so much more than a guest speaker coming into a classroom to talk for an hour one time,” says Mr. Nelson. “We’re looking at partnerships where local business and industry is working alongside the EOC staff and complementing what our teachers are already doing in their instruction.”
The EOC staff is thrilled to have Mr. Nelson on board and helping to foster new connections and continued interaction for students with the community’s employers. More than an internship or job shadow, career connected learning is opening up new pathways and bridging a gap for youth enrolled in the EOC by providing a glimmer of hope for what their futures might hold.
To learn more about career connected learning at the EOC, we encourage you to reach out to Tim Nelson at 208-413-4948 or nelsont@csdk12.org.