CTE students attend conference.

Pictured in attached photo, from left: Jarret Deisch, Kylie Bauman, Brandie Heyboer, Dr. Amy Wojciehowski, Governor Rick Snyder, Whitney Graczyk, Dominic Hasbrouck, Madelynn Edmondson, Austin Shepler

VICTORY TWP. — Earlier this month, seven students from the student organization Future Business Leaders (FBL) attended the Michigan Career and Technical Education (CTE) Conference in Grand Rapids.

The FBL students helped plan the conference and acted as session hosts to ensure the presentations went smoothly.  The students also interacted with leading figures in CTE education and met with Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, who attended the conference.

They were accompanied by their club advisor, Dr. Amy Wojciechowski, professor of marketing and management, who said she believes this type of event helps business-minded students develop their soft skills and gain valuable experience.

“Our students were fortunate to have lunch with the keynote speaker, Dr. Paul Hernandez. He is a leader in post-secondary education and was so impressed with the students that he took time out of his schedule to answer their questions and encourage them to continue to expand their learning opportunities outside the classroom,” stated Wojciechowski.

Kylie Bauman, from Manistee and one of Wojciehowski’s students, worked closely with Ferris State University’s Conference and Professional Services to finalize plans for the event.  Brandie Heyboer, an accounting student from Ludington, formally requested funds and developed the budget for the students to attend the conference.

“The conference was not only educational but inspirational as well,” said Madelynn Edmondson, of Manistee and the vice president of FBL.

Dominic Hasbrouck, a resident of Baldwin and president of FBL, said he believes it is events like this that show the real value of college. “You can learn a lot in a classroom, but there is nothing that can truly compare to an experience such as this.”

The CTE Conference is held annually to provide new and innovative teaching strategies to prepare students for a highly skilled workforce with career specific technical skills, strong work ethics, and employability skills desired by employers in a knowledge economy.

Funding for conference participation by the FBL students was provided by the college’s Student Organizations and Activities Program, which is managed by the college’s Student Senate.

FBL helps students develop their networking and professional skills.  The organization does this by participating in professional conferences and hosting professional development events on the WSCC campus.