These words of wisdom came from Sarah Kolar who is in her
second year at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, majoring in
accounting.
As a Greensburg Salem student, Sarah discovered her career
path early. She took an interest survey as part of Ninth Grade
Seminar and her number one career match was accounting. It
wasn’t really a surprise; numbers and problem solving always came
easily to her, plus her father is an accountant. Based on that, she
built her next three years around higher level mathematic courses
-- AP Calculus, Statistics, and taking every accounting course
offered, including Honors Accounting and Independent Study. As
a result, when she got to college she was ahead of many of her
classmates. Not only was she able to test out of introductory level
math classes but, when taking Intermediate Accounting, she was
already familiar with many of the concepts being taught. To her
surprise she was in classes with students that did not even have
basic accounting offered at their high school.
Like many students, Sarah continues to stay in contact with
her high school teachers. Mrs. Wendy Jorgensen, who teaches
accounting, gets regular emails from Sarah updating her on
her college experiences. “I am not surprised that she is doing so
well. Sarah embraces learning. Accounting is a hard subject but
Sarah wouldn’t give up on a problem until she was able to solve
it,” commented Jorgensen. “She also took the time to enjoy high
school and was involved in lots of things here. I think that has
helped her make the transition to college.”
Greensburg Salem junior Raymond DeSimone has chosen a
different path to make the most of his high school experience.
After a morning of core classes at GSHS, he attends Central
Westmoreland Career and Technical Center (CWCTC) studying
computer science and information. Always interested in
computers, a tour of CWCTC convinced Ray that their focus on the
computer industry and the intense exposure to programming was
the right choice for him.
“What I like best is working closely with a professional who really
knows the computer industry. We are always advancing, moving
forward, and learning more. When I graduate I will have earned
several certificates and have a good understanding of how the
industry works. In the computer field, it is not necessarily about
an advanced degree, it is about your skills and what you can do,”
explained DeSimone.
If you visit DeSimone’s personal webpage you will find this
Albert Einstein quote, “The only source of knowledge is experience.”
It is a concept that he has taken to heart; Ray and two of his CWCTC
classmates have formed a startup company called Decahedron
Comp, named after the 10-sided polygon. They provide web
design and computer maintenance for local companies – getting
jobs through friends and family, and occasionally advertising on
Craig’s List. While Ray is planning on attending college to study
game design, the skills that he is learning and honing while in high
school would enable him to go straight into the workforce.
Not all high school students have as clear of a vision for their
future as these two young people but we can learn from their
example and what they have in common. Both students built a
structure of individual, educational experiences based on their
interests, abilities, and strengths. The students also used the
resources of learning and career planning available to them to
create their pathway to success.
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GRE E N SBU RG SAL E M SC HOOL DI STRI C T NE WS
“Too often we just wish away high school
because we are so ready to move on to the
next phase of our lives. But I found that if you
appreciate the present and take advantage of
what high school can offer, it makes that next
phase so much easier.”
Greensburg Salem
Making the most of your high school years