December 4, 2024 - East Ridge High School has various Future Ready Institutes to help students figure out what they want to do after high school. These programs, or pathways, let students explore different careers and get experience while still in school. We talked to the College & Career Advisors, Emily Earwood and Lee Ann Samuels, and Whitney Clark, the Future Ready Institute Lead, to learn more about how these programs work and why they’re so great.
Q: What Pathways options are available at East Ridge?
Clark: The first pathway is the Institute of Automotive, Building Construction, and Design. So, within that institute, students could choose one of four programs.
The second pathway is Leadership and Public Health. Within that, we have our health science, which would be the pathway for you if you're interested in anything medical-related, even down to wanting to go into medicine, becoming a doctor or nurse, or anything similar.
We also have the Cyber Security pathway, which allows our students to learn how to work for different companies and keep their knowledge and information safe.
Finally, we will round out the opportunities with the Audio Visual Production pathway. We have two excellent teachers who work in the lines of doing different things such as PR, interviewing, or videography. They do a well-rounded take on Audio Visual, which prepares our students for this kind of environment and work.
Q: How do you join a Pathway?
Earwood: It’s super easy to get involved! Freshmen explore a couple of pathways to narrow down their interests. After that, you will choose a pathway that most suits your interest. These institutes have different programs that fall under them. For example:
• If you like health sciences, you can take classes to get certified as a medical assistant.
• In audio-visual production, you can learn to make videos, do interviews, and even work in public relations.
• If you choose construction, you can earn college credits while still in high school, saving time and money after graduation.
Q: Why are these Pathways helpful?
Samuels: The pathways are great because the students can explore careers and career opportunities before they get out of high school, and even though a student's eventual career goals may not perfectly align with their pathways, there's something to learn from each program. In addition to just taking classes, Pathways also teaches students how to research job opportunities and interviews, make resumes, and build on skills that would be useful with anything they choose to do in life.
Q: Can you share any success stories from East Ridge
Samuels: Within Building and Construction, some students have dual enrollment at the Construction Center, so they take classes and finish high school with college credit. Some even finish with a college certificate in Building Construction with one semester of school after graduating high school.
Earwood: I think that some of the most successful things I’ve seen are students who take Computer Science and then go on to the BlueSky program, a college program between ETSU and BlueCross BlueShield.
Clark: The very first thing that comes to my mind is within our health science department when students can get those certifications, and they have skills when they walk out our doors, they can be Medical Assistants or go into college for nursing or pursue being a doctor. Even now, our students are Hamilton County Employees through the Communication Department internship.
Q: Why does it matter?
East Ridge High School’s pathways are more than just classes; they’re a way to prepare for the future. Whether you want to go to college, start a career, or just figure out your passion, these programs give you the tools to succeed. East Ridge isn’t just about graduating; it’s about setting students up for whatever comes next.