Leadership Chattanooga initiates Traci Day, left, and Amanda Merideth smile for a picture.Thirty Soddy-Daisy Middle School students are already looking into possible college and career paths. Sounds a little early to be considering such options, right?
Not if you ask SDMS principal Blake Freeman, who would refer to Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam’s Drive to 55 campaign. The goal of the campaign is to bring the percentage of Tennesseans with college degrees to 55 percent by 2025, according to driveto55.org.
“High school, I believe, is too late to start talking to students about their career,” Freeman said. “We want to make sure that we as a school are doing our share of securing the future of our community and our county.”
Fortunately for him and his students, a group of eight Leadership Chattanooga initiates – Justin Furrow, Ryan Rogers, Tish Calitz, Traci Day, Amanda Meredith, Mark Jones, Michael Hutcherson and Rose Martin – were looking for a project to pour their professional talents into this year.
When Freeman proposed starting a college and career mentorship program, Furrow, a local attorney with Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel P.C., said he and the rest of the group thought it would be a perfect fit.