Twenty-one Kansas students participated and placed in national competitions at the Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) National Career Development Conference (NCDC) just over a week ago in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The NCDC was hosted April 30th through May 2nd, where students from all 32 JAG state affiliates came together for competition and development activities.
Thirty-four students and ten staff members from Jobs for America’s Graduates – Kansas (JAG-K) made the trip to Salt Lake City to participate in NCDC. The competition categories that JAG-K had representation in were Creative Decision Making, Prepared Speaking, Career Preparation, Financial Budget Planning, Project-Based Learning, and Employability Skills. Additionally, Analicia Aquino (Shawnee Mission North), and Isaiah Douglass (Goodland) served as voting delegates to elect the next set of national officers.
Kansas had two second place finishers – Hollisten Zimmer (Junction City) in Prepared Speaking, and Madison Smith (Kingman) in Employability Skills.
“This was my first year competing in a CDC,” Zimmer stated. “I can’t wait to return next year and see everyone again because I know we have what it takes.”
The individual JAG-K students who placed in the top ten in their events were:
Employability Skills:
- 2nd – Madison Smith, Kingman
Prepared Speaking:
- 2nd – Hollisten Zimmer, Junction City
- 7th – Sophi Register, Augusta
- 8th – Haley Hughes, Manhattan
Career Preparation:
- 3rd – Chylind Kelly, Buhler
Financial Budget Preparation:
- 4th – James Veerkamp, Basehor-Linwood
- 5th – Joel Umana Jimenez, Newton
The JAG-K teams who placed in the top ten of their events were:
JAG Promotional Video- Finalists
- 4th – Olivia Mehiel, Sophi Register; Augusta
Creative Decision Making:
- 7th – Alyson Taylor, Benjamin Sturgeon, Jemma Ploger; Kiowa County
- 9th – Kadence Kreuzburg, Jaiden Means, Raegan Stillwell; Augusta
Project-Based Learning:
- 5th – Ashliey Aliwis, Adaira Hutto, Ayden Le; Winfield
- 10th – Anthony Phoenix, Tyrone Wright Jr., Kevin Walton Jr.; Shawnee Mission North
One Kansas program, Kiowa County High School, received recognition for the national outstanding chapter award.
“To have a student representing Kansas in the top ten of every event we entered is an impressive feat,” said Chuck Knapp, President & CEO of JAG-K. “We are incredibly proud of our students and their hard work!”
JAG-K is a multi-year, in-school program for students in grades 6-12 that offers tools to successfully transition students into post-secondary school, the military, or directly into the workforce with marketable skills. Kansas’ 120 JAG-K programs serve approximately 6,000 students in 54 school districts across the state. JAG-K Career Specialists help students graduate and learn career, leadership, and life skills by executing a nationally-accredited, evidence-based model. Participants must meet criteria to be selected for the program and have potential to overcome various barriers to post-secondary success.
The 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization is a state affiliate of the national JAG program network which operates in 36 different states and territories. It is primarily funded through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant to the State of Kansas administered by the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF). In addition to school districts and DCF, JAG-K partners with the Kansas Department of Education. Other JAG-K funding sources include AT&T, Barton Community College, EagleU, Independence Community College, the JB and Anne Hodgdon Foundation, John Deere, Johnson County Community College, the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, Kansas Gas Service, the Kansas Insurance Department, Mark One Electric, the Office of the Kansas State Bank Commissioner, United Way of Kaw Valley, United Way of the Plains, U.S. Bank, Walmart and Washburn Tech.
To learn more about JAG-K, visit www.jagkansas.org, or ‘Jobs for America’s Graduates-Kansas’ on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.
