On November 29th, Belleville eighth grade students participated in FutureQuest, a hands-on event at the Alliant Energy Center to give students opportunities to interact with professionals from all career clusters from Dane County and surrounding school districts. What they may not have expected was to find other Wildcats on the other side of the tables introducing them to career paths they discovered at the same event not so long ago! This opportunity gave students a chance to hear from former Belleville High School (BHS) grads – Cassidy Heller (Dave Jones, Inc.) and Dalton Fahey (Benjamin Plumbing), as well as Jordan Roelke, and Brandon Jimenez (Evansville Ford). Making this familiar connection with Belleville alumni was an amazing experience for Belleville eighth grade students in helping them each realize that these events can truly help shape one's future.

At FutureQuest, Cassidy Heller shared that while she had a love for health science and art in high school, she majored in Interior Design at college. However, after working as an Interior Designer, she still had a yearning for more and decided to take her knowledge of Computer Aided Design (CAD) in another direction. She now works as an HVAC designer for Dave Jones, Inc. She shared with eighth graders that she never saw the possibility of this field for herself in high school, but absolutely loves her work now, giving students a window on future possibilities for their careers. She attends trade shows and career fairs to help spread the word – including students back home in Belleville!

Like Cassidy, Dalton Fahey was a natural with middle school students looking for direction as they think about their future career paths. Dalton studied agriculture and trades courses at BHS, and following graduation he went to work on his family farm, Prairieland Dairy, before moving into a job with Benjamin Plumbing. He is currently apprenticing as a plumber. Using his experiences finding his career path, he enjoyed engaging students as they came to his booth to receive information and watch demonstrations about the plumbing industry.

While Cassidy and Dalton shared their experiences finding their careers post-high school, two other alumni had different perspectives to share as they had participated in Belleville's Youth Apprenticeship program while getting their high school degrees. Take Jorden Roelke for instance – Jorden now works at Evansville Ford as the Parts and Service Manager and was at FutureQuest to help share more about the work he does as middle schoolers plan to prepare for their future careers. In high school, Jorden focused on agricultural studies, but also was a Youth Apprentice (YA). To this end, he successfully completed YA certifications for the General Animal and Large Animal/Herd Units of study at Voegeli Brown Swiss Farm in Monticello, with Mentor Brian Voegeli. After graduation, Jorden pursued a college degree in Agricultural Business but chose not to finish the degree as some of his interests began to change. He liked the mechanical/repair aspects related to farming and took a job at Sloan Implement working as a repair technician while working on his automotive technician degree. Jorden then moved to Evansville Ford where he worked as an Auto Technician before moving into his current position. Jorden credits work-based learning programs such as Youth Apprenticeship that he participated in through BHS during the 2017-18 school year with first helping him develop a strong work ethic, communication and organization skills, as well as developing technical skills that he still uses today.

Also a former Youth Apprentice (2017-18), Brandon Jimenez completed the Auto Technician Youth Apprenticeship at NRG Automotive in Madison, with Mentor Nate Gregorias. During high school, Brandon was enrolled in a Dane County School Consortium course titled "Automotive Technologies." The course helped him with knowledge and gaining the skills he would use at his YA job. Brandon earned the Automotive Service Excellence Certificate in addition to the YA Occupational Proficiency Certificate. Brandon continued his employment after high school for three years before also moving to Evansville Ford. The dealership has an internal training program, and Brandon is continuing his education through it. Brandon stated that the YA program helped him develop more confidence and he learned that if he applied himself, he would succeed.

Because Jorden and Brandon both found value in the work-based learning they received during their time at BHS, under the direction of Family Consumer/Health Sciences Instructor and School-to-Career Coordinator Teresa Gartley, these two young men also want to give back. They both mentor two high school Auto Technician Youth Apprentices from Evansville and volunteered to be on the Youth Apprentice Alumni panel at FutureQuest.

Gartley says what she liked best about seeing her former students engaged with current eighth grade students within the guise of an event like FutureQuest is this: "The ultimate goal of their time with us is to create success personally, as a citizen and in work. Sensing their confidence and ability to articulate thoughts with younger students about their career paths, just as someone did for them years earlier, brings a longer lasting sense of value to the work we do."

Photo courtesy of Marie Perry

Cassidy Heller, a Belleville High School Alumni, at FutureQuest.

FutureQuest helps students achieve middle school academic and career planning (ACP) performance expectations by engaging in hands-on activities that will help them align their interests, high school course selections, and needed skills to local companies within the 16 career clusters. It is important to note that these companies do not promote their "jobs," but rather highlight the education and skills needed to be successful in positions available within their company, giving middle school students an opportunity to start shaping their futures while still in school.