Lyon County Career Exploration Day provided 340 freshman and sophomore students with an opportunity to learn about careers and education needs from Lyon County business professionals. The event for students from Central Lyon, George-Little Rock and West Lyon Community Schools, along with Ellsworth, MN, Public School was held in Rock Rapids on Friday, January 25, at the Forster Community Center and other nearby locations.
Dr. Cody Hoefert, owner of Lyon County Chiropractic in Rock Rapids, kicked off the program speaking to the students about the benefits of making good choices, including surrounding themselves with people who make good choices, and the consequences of poor choices.
Dr. Hoefert encouraged the students to work hard and put thought into setting themselves up for success. He said that each of the students will define what success is for themselves differently. He also noted that students should take care in posting on social media because many if not most employers do check social media use by job applicants. He concluded by saying “Everyone here wishes success for you, supports you, prays for you and encourages you to be and do your best.”
According to Steve Simons, Lyon County Economic Development Director, the goal of Career Exploration Day is to give students the opportunity to hear about careers in Lyon County from local business professionals. Then, he explained, the students can utilize the career and education information they receive and combine it with their personal interests and goals to create an education and career plan for a successful future.
“As an economic developer, working with guidance counselors Jessica Harman (CL), Kristi Groth (Ellsworth), Dan Helkenn (GLR), Kim Mulder (WL) and their school administrations on this project for Lyon County students was exciting,” Simons said. “The 32 business professionals who shared their time and experience with the students and the 40 volunteers who made Career Exploration Day run smoothly from start to finish make it a very rewarding experience.” Members of the Career Exploration Day Committee are Helkenn, Mulder, Harman, Groth, Simons, Micah Freese – Rock Rapids Development Corporation, Laura Beyenhof – Lyon County ISU Extension, Tina Sherrill-Range – George-Little Rock High School, Jerry Pytleski (CL) and Dan Cline and Allie Mouw – Northwest Iowa Community College.
Lyon County businesses and business professionals participating and their career category included Grand Falls Casino and Golf Resort (Hospitality and Tourism), Glynlyon, Cooperative Energy Company, K101 Radio/KQAD (Arts and Audio Visual), DRG Mechanical and Meyer Electric (Building Trades), Stensland Family Farms and American Hero Clothing (Business/Entrepreneur), Lyon County Chiropractic, Murphy Family Dentistry and Sanford Health (Health Sciences), Cooperative Farmers Elevator (Agriculture), Sudenga Industries and Agile Manufacturing (Manufacturing), Lyon County Sheriff, Seasons Center for Behavioral Health and Austin, Haberkorn, Kippley and Wippert (Social Sciences), Frontier Bank (Finance), and DGR Engineering and Lyon County Engineer’s Office (Engineering and Surveying).
The program was sponsored by Lyon County Economic Development and Rock Rapids Development Corporation in partnership with the Central Lyon, Ellsworth, George-Little Rock, and West Lyon Community Schools, Northwest Iowa Community College, Lyon County ISU Extension Council and the Lyon County Riverboat Foundation.
