Cherokee Students "Shadow" Professionals Last Week on Groundhog Day

Native News Network Staff in Native Briefs. Discussion »

Native Brief: TAHLEQUAH, OKLAHOMA - In honor of National Groundhog Job Shadow Day, students from Cherokee Nation's 'Talking Leaves' Job Corps ventured out to offices, hospitals and municipal buildings in Muskogee and Tahlequah last Thursday, February 2 to get a new perspective on their studies through a hands-on learning experience.

Talking Leaves Job Corps

Sponsored by the US Department of Labor, Junior Achievement, and America's Promise, the program provides hands-on experience in the workforce through a one day mentorship. Mentors are shadowed by students who apply the knowledge they have gained in the classroom to real world scenarios. Nationwide, more than 1 million students and 100,000 businesses participate.

“National Job Shadow Day is a wonderful opportunity for our students,”

Talking Leaves Job Corps Coordinator Andrea Dickerson said.

"This day allows them to get an inside look and a hands-on feel that coincides with the training skills they're learning in the classroom while at Talking Leaves."

Students from the Talking Leaves Job Corps had the opportunity to shadow working professionals at Cherokee Elder Care, Go Ye Village, Tahlequah Mayor Jason Nichols' office, Judge Sandy Crosslin's office at the Cherokee County Courthouse, Cherokee County Nursing Center, Grace Living Center, W.W. Hastings Hospital, Muskogee Regional Hospital and the Jack C. Montgomery VA Hospital in Muskogee.

Aaprie Antonio, a student at Talking Leaves Job Corps who is training to become a certified nursing assistant, said that shadowing others at Elder Care taught her helpful skills, such as taking vital signs and interacting with patients, which she had previously only read about in class.

“When you learn from the book it's different than in person,”

Antonio said.

"I like talking to the patients and interacting with them; it was a lot of fun and I learned more than I would have just reading about it."

Talking Leaves Job Corps is funded by the US Department of Labor and administered by Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah. The program provides education and career technical training to young people ages 16-24 at no cost to them or their families.

posted February 7, 2012 9:20 am est