Kentucky JAG students say program is shaping their futures
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – Students from Kentucky chapters of Jobs for America’s Graduates gathered Tuesday at the Central Bank Center in Lexington for the organization’s State Career Development Conference, where they competed and networked with potential employers.
The two-day event, which runs through Wednesday, drew more than 400 students from across the state.
About the program
Jobs for America’s Graduates, known as JAG, is a nonprofit program operating in middle and high schools across the country. In Kentucky, the program serves more than 8,000 students in 72 counties, focusing on job market skills and basic life skills like how to file taxes.
George Stafford, president of JAG Kentucky, said the conference marks a milestone for many attendees.
“They’re learning all the soft skills that they need in order to be successful in their hopefully their local communities first and hopefully in Kentucky and make it stronger secondly,” Stafford said. “But we’re very proud of them and this conference over the next two days will be some of the first times some of these students have had the opportunity to even come to Lexington, so this is a big deal for a lot of these students.”
Students reflect on the program’s impact
Mallory Cooper, a freshman at Menifee County High School, said the program has shaped the student body at her school.
“We have some of the like best kids in the state here and I think part of that is because JAG is just such a force in our school,” Cooper said.
Jolly Banton, a junior at Warren East High School, said the program has helped build her confidence.
“Boosting the confidence is the biggest thing that JAG has done for me because it has really showed me that like even if you’re down here, you think you can’t do something, you can do it,” Banton said.
Lauren Partin, a senior at Lynn Camp High School, called joining JAG the “best decision of my life.” She said she plans to attend college next year to major in communication disorders and become a speech language pathologist, and credited JAG with preparing her for that path.
“Never let someone tell you that because you have a thick country accent or you have a little tang in your speech that you’re not as intelligent or you’re not as capable of doing something as somebody else is,” Partin said.
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