Hennessey High School students were treated Nov. 19 to a “Career Day” of guest speakers and career exploration thanks to many HHS alumni, parents, friends and community partners.

It was a full day of activities with a morning of college information sessions.

Afterward, Barry Crosswhite, their former elementary principal, kicked off the career sessions with some words of advice for entering the world of work and adulthood, followed by an afternoon where students attended five breakout sessions of their choice to learn more about their careers of interest and practice their interview skills.

Our students were fortunate to have 17 career presentations to choose from including three HHS Hall of Fame members as presenters: Earl Enix, retired airline pilot and flight instructor; Derek Grimes, retired United States Air Force officer and attorney; and Don Smith, entrepreneur.

Additional career session presenters were John Bossa, oil and gas machinist and skilled trades; Jay Caffey, industrial safety/fire safety engineering; Jarrod Cole, agriculture and livestock food science; Dr. Patrick Crosswhite (a virtual guest), professor of physiology at Gonzaga University; Alonso Duran and Mason Strong of Interworks, IT & Business Technology; Rev. Ish Ingle, Hennessey FCC pastor and West Point graduate presenting on “How to attend a selective military college”; Shannon Kennedy, registered dietitian; Dr. Samantha Moery, family physician; Dr. James Matousek, veterinarian; Tabatha Scott, speech pathologist; Shane Soudek, sports management and teaching; Oscar Vallejo, USAF air traffic controller; Lora Vaverka, APRN, and Ashley Vaverka, registered nurse.

There was also a college student panel led by Katie Soudek (Baylor University) including Noah Moery (Rose State), Daniel Rios (OU), Soldayana Tarango (OSU) and Nadia Valles (OSU).

Also on hand were the counselor, instructors and students of Chisholm Trail Technology Center highlighting the various Career Tech programs available. Military representatives were also in attendance to discuss service and career opportunities through the U.S. Navy, Air Force, Marines, Army and Army National Guard.

Juniors and seniors also developed their resumes over the past month in order to prepare and practice their job interview skills with volunteer mock interviews at Career Day.

Volunteers serving as interviewers were Tony Blackburn, Golden Chick; Jay Caffey, Thurmond-McGlothlin/EMS; Patrick Griffin, Griffin Resources; Luke Lough, NBC Oklahoma; Stephanie Luevanos, Seaboard Farms; Angel Molina, Interbank; Lindy Peterman, OSU Extension; Ish Ingle, and Barb Walter.

Hennessey High School is thankful for our many alumni and guests who made this day an excellent learning opportunity for our students.

Don Smith and Interworks contributed prizes for the event.

HHS FCCLA provided guest hospitality and the HHS faculty and staff hosted the classroom presentations and interviews.

It is wonderful to be a part of a community of excellent role models that show such strong support for preparing our students for their future.