Editor's Note: This article is part of Route Bay City's Voices of Youth series, which features content created by Bay County youth in partnership with the Bay-Arenac ISD Career Center.
Imagine graduating from high school not just with a diploma, but with a clear path to success.
The
Bay-Arenac ISD Career Center is more than just a place for education — it’s a gateway to internships, job opportunities, and professional growth. The Career Center is
a Career and Technical Education (CTE) high school. CTE schools combine academic, technical, and real-world experience to prepare students for life after graduation.
At the Bay-Arenac Career Center, six unique clubs help students get hands-on experience and insight into possible careers. The clubs are: HOSA – Future Health Professionals, SkillsUSA, DECA (formerly the Distributive Education Clubs of America),
Future Farmers of America (FFA),
Business Professionals of America (BPA), and
National Technical Honor Society (NTHS).
These clubs are perfect opportunities to deepen your knowledge and grow professionally. There are only three clubs that I will be focusing on today.
HOSA works with future health professionals
HOSA stands out as an outstanding opportunity for students interested in healthcare careers. It provides opportunities for students to compete in health care-related events, attend conferences, and receive training in medical terminology, health science knowledge, and patient care.
Its mission is to strengthen the understanding of future health professionals so they can thrive in the global health community. The programs at the Career Center that partake in this club are Dental Occupations, Biomedical and Forensic Science, Health Technology/Medical Science, Nursing Assistant, Physical Therapy Occupational Therapy & Sports Medicine.
I encourage you to sign up for these programs to get started on your health career.
SkillsUSA serves students considering careers in trade, technical, and skilled services
SkillsUSA is a national organization that serves students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical, and skilled service occupations.
It’s known for arranging events for members to compete and highlight their skills in fields such as automotive technology, carpentry, culinary arts, health sciences, information technology, and welding. It focuses on leadership development to inspire students to have great communication skills or courage, and the capability to handle teams or projects.
There are so many programs that you can be in to join this club including Graphic & Printing Communications, Culinary Arts, Tourism & Hospitality Management, Careers & Education, Cosmetology, Criminal Justice, and many of the Manufacturing & Industrial Technology programs.
This is one of the biggest clubs at the Career Center.
DECA prepares students for careers in finance, marketing, hospitality, and management
Lastly,
DECA prepares high school students everywhere to be leaders and entrepreneurs in finance, marketing, hospitality, and management. DECA wants the next generation to be academically prepared, community-oriented, professionally responsible, and experienced leaders.
Like students in the other clubs, DECA members compete in events that showcase their business skills. Unlike the other clubs, this organization is only connected to one Career Center program, which is Marketing & Management. While it’s one of the smaller clubs at the high school, it offers enormous educational opportunities.
Joining clubs such as HOSA, SkillsUSA, and DECA gives students real-world experience and helps them build important skills for their future careers.
Each club focuses on a different industry, from healthcare to skilled trades to business, giving students a chance to learn and grow in their field while still in high school.
These are just three of the six clubs available, so imagine all the other opportunities the Career Center has to offer.
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