Rochester Students get an Early Start to Success

1/13/2009
By Donny Rowles
ABC 6 NEWS


A program called, “Learn. Do. Earn.” is getting kids as young as 10 or 12 to start thinking about their career paths.

Kathryn Megerian is one of the first participants in the program.

The goal is to get kids thinking about their future while they're still young.

Megerian says she first thought about becoming an aeronautical engineer while watching TV.

"It was talking about how they were building a new plane and it looked so cool how they built it and so I was like, that would be fun to do that,” she says.

The program asks kids to consider their career, and think about classes they should take to reach their goals.

The kids then learn why it's important to take classes like pre-algebra.

"74% of the students that graduate past pre-algebra have a more successful chance of getting into the posts secondary education, and into the workforce,” says Jessica Ihrke with the Rochester Chamber of Commerce.

Middle school teacher Steve Myhro says this program encourages kids to ask their parents more than just the importance of careers, but ways to plan for them.

"It was often a way that kids did not communicate with parents. They maybe know what mom or dad does but they truly don't understand everything that was involved in getting that job and the education they needed to get that job,” he says.

"It's not wait until high school and then wait until college, it's do it right now,” says Megerian.

At least one student already understands the program.

The program is connected to Workforce 2020, created by the Rochester Chamber of Commerce.

The program has several key pieces, including academic rigor, work ethic, computer proficiency and financial literacy.

It generated $150,000 from donors like Mayo Clinic, Think Mutual Bank, RCTC, Winona State University Rochester and Kwik Trip.

The program costs no money to the schools.