Corinth Seniors Prepare for Life after High School

On Aug. 15, Corinth High School (CHS) hosted its third annual Senior Prep Day event, a day for CHS seniors to interact with local professionals in preparation for their future. The day opened with breakfast prepared and served by the CHS Culinary Arts students followed with a talk from Jessie Perriman, assistant vice president of marketing and community outreach officer at Guaranty Bank and Trust Company.  Then, seniors rotated through three stations including mock interviews, college preparation and a college and career fair.

Over 120 professionals from Corinth and Northeast Mississippi volunteered for this event and helped lead the three stations. This group represented 12 colleges, five branches of the military and 36 businesses and industries.

The mock interviews were a common favorite session among the students. Each student provided their resume and then were interviewed in two separate 15 minute interviews with local professionals. After the interview, the professionals were able to give instant feedback to the students. Students had an opportunity to self reflect and score themselves after the event. "It was a pleasure to help at the event again this year,” said Greg Cooley, CFP, Cooley & Labas Financial Advisors. “The opportunity to take part in the ‘mock interviews’ is always encouraging.  I truly believe that our future is bright because of the youth who represent our next generation.  They’re awesome! I’m glad to be a part of a community that values holistic education."

This unique experience lets CHS seniors practice important skills before they leave high school while also introducing them to local opportunities. “Senior Prep Day is designed to expose, prepare, and connect our seniors to opportunities available locally and to strengthen our future workforce,” said Candace Marlar, CHS Career Coach. “It bridges the gap between the students and community volunteers while providing a platform for potential employers to directly educate them on ways they can set themselves apart from other applicants.”

For the local professionals, it was a joy to be around the students. "This event was spectacular!” said Natalie Watson, Administrative Specialist II, UT Martin. “I was impressed with the students and how helpful and respectful they were. Corinth is a really special place. They are obviously doing a lot of great things because everything about this event was outstanding!”

“I am always blown away with the Corinth Senior Prep Day event,” said Perriman. “I’m grateful to the Career Coaches and Corinth High School for the incredible work they do in guiding these young minds toward success. A big discussion going on amongst the community volunteers was how impressive the students were, especially during the mock job interviews. I pray the students absorb the wealth of information shared with them and feel all the love and support from their community.”

Overall, the students learned many valuable lessons during Senior Prep Day, including how to professionally interact with adults. "I felt that this was an extraordinary opportunity,” said Elsie Wilbanks, senior. “It helped me to have in-person interactions with community business owners. It was definitely a confidence booster hearing them compliment me on my social interactions and social skills!”

Senior Prep Day was a special event because it included all senior students. “It was exciting to see the opportunity for vocational growth that Corinth is providing to their students,” said Therray Taylor, Rehabilitation Specialist III at Ability Works, Inc. “It was great to see that all of the students participated in the interviewing process to demonstrate that everyone has something they can offer to employers. Their disability took a back seat to their ability to want to be included in the work force. I loved it and look forward to working with the students again in the future.”

The day ended with lunch prepared by the CHS Culinary Arts students including lasagna, Caesar salad, bread and desserts.

Corinth High School is thankful to have such a supportive local community. “The response from our local businesses and surrounding communities let us know just how blessed we are,” said Kasey Atkins, CHS career coach. “This event has really evolved. If anyone wants to see what community buy-in looks like, they should visit CHS for Senior Prep Day! The support and encouragement poured into our students is amazing. As a result of this networking event, we learned of a few part-time positions that were filled along with a summer internship opportunity.” If you are interested in hosting a student(s) for a tour, job shadow or internship opportunity, please visit https://careerconnections.tours/#/, create a business log-in and contact a career coach.