After a week’s worth of studying and testing, the Friday before winter break was dedicated to looking into the future to encourage students to think about life after graduation and after college called Find Your Future.

The day consists of multiple average people talking to students about their jobs on a daily basis. The students were able to choose what presenters they saw, in which they were most interested in based on their chosen career pathway.

The point of this day was to get students to think about their education and future. This was to get them to see their everyday school life in a new light.

“I think it’s great for the students to be exposed to people in careers that they may or may not know a lot about just to see what is out there,” said Math Teacher Mr. Carey Collins.

Hosting an event like this gave students a look into the different careers, but also produced thinking and new knowledge.

“I learned that people have different ways of getting to their careers like some people say it’s not about this, it’s about this,” said senior Joseph Kurtz. “Other people say it is about that.”

With so many different people, the stories were not alike. This gave a variety of lessons learned and wisdom to consider.

“You have to listen to other people’s advice, but also go with your gut to decide how you’re going to get somewhere,” said Kurtz.

When applying to colleges, students are required to put what major they want to pursue. This can be stressful for those who are not quite sure of what that maybe.

“Because I heard about people changing their pathways, I gained more confidence about going into the future,” said freshman Marilyn Baker. “Because I feel a little more laid back about it and I’m not as stressed to have to pick one pathway.”

After having fresh thoughts about what is beyond college, The Student Government had purchased the eligibility to show the movie Most Likely to Succeed to the student body to encourage more thought around the topic. This was shown during the second half of the day.

It is an educational documentary looking at a school that teaches differently than the ordinary American school system. Following the program, there was a live panel that included students, staff, and an outside adult.

“[Having a live panel after the movie] I think that helped the students digest what they saw, but also to see from a student perspective that it is okay to be thinking about education,” said Event Cooridnator Mrs. Abby Tanner.

With never having done this kind of event before, there were a lot of positive reactions from the students, staff, and visitors.

“When we can get 40 outside people to come in to present, hearing their feedback and hearing the students feedback on what is going on was good,” said Principal Mr. Scott Buchler.

The point of this day was to get students to think about their education and future. This was to get them to see their everyday school life in a new light.

“Maybe not all [the students’] thoughts are positive, but we need to look at what is good, how we keep doing that, and what we need to do to move forward,” said Tanner. “Because we can’t just leave it today and never think about it again.”

There was a lot students took away from both the presenters as well as the movie, as staff and students discuss their thoughts afterwards.

The future of education is evolving into a more hands on learning experience. Many educators are already looking into ways of moving in the same direction.

“There are things we can improve on and we’ve already talked about making changes, but you have to be a risk taker to move forward,” said Buchler. “Northwest High School moved forward today.”