PVHS seniors present portfolios

The Pequea Valley School District (PVSD) First Choice Career program endeavors to help PVSD students discover and work to achieve their goals in their first career choice. To give Pequea Valley High School (PVHS) seniors an opportunity to share their First Choice journeys, a special portfolio night was held at the school on March 6.

Students and family members gathered in groups in 20 rooms of the school. Three facilitators were assigned to each room as well. Students gave individual presentations that included information about themselves, including their hobbies, interests, and school activities. Students discussed the path they took to discover their career choice and the next steps they planned to take, and they shared appreciation for those who have helped them along the way.

Senior Marina Sassman, who grew up in Gap, spoke about her love of painting, baking, and reading, as well as her participation in concert choir, FFA, and field hockey. She noted she has been influenced in her career choice by her family, counselors, and First Choice Career coordinator Jared Erb. Sassman stated that classes in horticulture, painting, and ceramics have helped her to learn about herself. She noted that she is a visual learner and an animal lover and that taking animal science classes led her to her choice of studying to be a veterinary technician. She hopes to attend a Lancaster County college and take part in an internship to enhance her schooling and give her experience with medical care for animals. "I fell in love with the idea," she noted, adding that the only animals she is nervous about working with are frogs and snakes.

Student Zachary Huyard has attended PVSD schools, along with a local private school, and he has been homeschooled. He noted that he loves outdoor hobbies including hunting and fishing and that he is a follower of Christ. "My family has taught me to work hard no matter what and put God first," he noted, adding that he has been on mission trips outside the country and worked at a cheese stand as well as in landscaping. After helping to complete the work needed to flip a house and doing an internship with a real estate agent, Huyard decided that his first career choice would be real estate. He has already purchased and flipped a local home, and he is planning to take realty courses online late in the year. "That was cool," said Huyard of the house flipping experience, noting that he also plans to attend a discipleship training school in Montana and complete mission work in Nepal in this coming year.

Jaiden Meyer is a PVHS senior who loves Philadelphia sports, summer, and his Jeep Wrangler. As part of his presentation, Meyer noted that he has played soccer since age 5 and that he served as captain of the fall 2023 PVHS team. He also noted that he loves to travel to see new places and learn about other cultures. Meyer has attended both PVSD and ELANCO School District schools. He currently works two jobs - one as an intern with the PVHS athletic director posting to social media accounts for the school and Lancaster-Lebanon League and the other in the team store for the Lancaster Stormers baseball team. He noted that his mother's vision for his education has played a role in his choices, but he also credited friends and employers for influencing him. In his next chapter, Meyer hopes to combine his love of basketball with work in social media. He plans to take a gap year, working part time until he turns 18 and then working full time and setting up a financial plan to help him attend college.

Juelz Lynch mentioned hobbies such as skateboarding and fishing in his presentation. He noted that when he was younger he loved both soccer and football and would change uniforms in the car between practices so he could play both. Lynch spoke about working at Kitchen Kettle, Bird-in-Hand Family Restaurant and Smorgasbord, and Cracker Barrel. A lifelong PVSD student, he noted that he is a hands-on learner who is willing to try new things and work at a new skill until he has mastered it. He first tried coding as an elementary school student, and he has learned about cybersecurity and computing through a PVHS class. His first career choice is computer technology. He plans to attend Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology and then utilize internships to further his knowledge in the field. He noted that he appreciated his family's support and motivation toward his career goals.