UCS students encouraged to "move mountains" at Career Focus

For 25 years, Utica Community Schools sixth graders have been inspired to pursue their life goals through hard work, persistence and dedication.

This year, they were inspired to move mountains.

Tricia Morrow, a General Motors engineer who leads safety vehicle efforts, told more than 2,000 sixth graders to be persistent as they begin working towards their dream careers.

“Sometimes you have obstacles – I call them mountains,” she said. “Sometimes you will have to move mountains.”

Morrow served as keynote speaker for the annual Career Focus luncheon, a collaborative community program that sets the stage for students transitioning into secondary schools by encouraging students to pursue innovation, explore career options and interests, and create a plan that ensures post-secondary education and success.

The students work with teachers to research their interests, create a digital resume, an iMovie on their college and career choice and an electronic business card which is presented through a VR Code to a business representative at the luncheon.

Business representatives then share their personal stories about their careers to the 8-10 students at their table.

At a Harvey Elementary table, sixth grader Alyssa Terranova and ten of her classmates shared their career goals with an electrician.

“He explained his career to us, what it is he does and how he got to where he is now,” she said.

She said she plans to be a pediatrician, which will require taking part in the medical careers courses at her high school and enrolling at the medical program at University of Detroit Mercy.

Terranova’s focus to explore her career goal and study options was reinforced to students by Superintendent Dr. Christine Johns during the luncheon.

Prior to their graduation in 2024, Dr. Johns encouraged sixth-graders to take advantage of a wide array of secondary course options and extracurricular activities available to UCS junior and high school students.

“All of these experiences will set you up for success,” Superintendent Dr. Christine Johns said.

Dr. Johns noted that the district’s graduation rate of 93 percent – 13 points higher than the state average – and continued student success at state and national competition demonstrates the success of students pursuing unique options available in UCS.

The Career Focus Luncheon has been sponsored annually for 25 years by UCS Foundation for Educational Excellence, in cooperation with the Sterling Heights Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Foundation president Michael Nowicki said the event is a unique partnership of Utica Community Schools administrators and teachers, community leaders, elective officials, families, and business leaders.

“This event brings together everything we love about Utica Community Schools,” he said. “It demonstrates how our community is focused on our students and that their future remains a priority,” he said.

Over the past 25 years, speakers with different backgrounds have shared their career stories. Speakers have included Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, defense industry engineer Angela Bradley, and Emagine Theatre CEO Paul Glantz.

For this year’s group of sixth graders, keynote speaker Morrow shared her story of the “love I discovered for everything math” in high school.

She took that interest into the engineering field, where she now leads award-winning team at General Motors that manages projects such as whiplash protection, safety and crashworthiness performance and biomechanics.

“I loved math and solving problems as a high school student. I also wanted to make a difference,” she said. “Now I design industry first safety systems that save lives.”

Despite obstacles the sixth graders will inevitably face, they should “never lose sight of the things you love to do,” Morrow said.

“Grab a shovel – You can move a mountain!”

Source: Utica Community Schools

Dr. Christine Johns, Superintendent of Schools

Http://www.uticak12.org