Faculty and staff work with middle school students to explore their interests, learn about potential careers, make connections at OCC
Braylon Floyd placed a small, rectangular piece of aluminum into a vice before carefully using a large file to make it smoother. The 14-year-old concentrated as he used both hands to move the file only in one direction and angle it to make rounded edges.
Once he was satisfied with the piece, he brought it over to a machine control unit, typed in his name, and watched it transform into a keychain through a glass window inside of OCC’s Machine Tooling lab.
“It’s pretty cool,” Floyd said while looking at his finished product. “I like how I can design my own key chain. I feel like I’m creating something.”
Floyd was one of nearly 20 middle school students who got a glimpse of what it would be like to work as a machinist during OCC Exploration Summer Camp hosted by the College’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
“We want students to be aware of the wealth of career opportunities available,” said Dr. Leah Aggison, OCC Associate Dean of Math and Science. “Through this camp, they get a taste of different careers and perhaps see themselves in one of these roles in their future.”
Teens explore multiple careers and programs during the two-week camp. Photos on Flickr.
Nursing: When we envision nurses, most of us think about them working in hospitals or doctors’ offices. But did you know nurses can get hired to work for cruise ships, amusement parks, schools, the military and in patients’ homes?
Campers learned about the different types of nursing jobs and the rigorous training from OCC Nursing Faculty Dr. Mariah Lanier and Monica Maroki.
Maroki advocates that “OCC is the perfect place to learn how to become a nurse." The College’s nursing programis one of the largest and most affordable in the state with clinical rotations at Ascension, Corewell Health, Detroit Medical Center and Henry Ford Health hospitals.
“We have phenomenal nursing educators who dedicate themselves unselfishly to their students,” said Maroki. “They teach with love and are committed to excellence. We are not here to fill seats. We are here to set the standards, so we have well prepared nurses in the profession.”
During the camp session, nursing faculty showed the teens how to use equipment for blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, oxygen level and pulse. Psychiatric Adjunct Faculty Myriam Manrriquez also talked to campers about her first “miracle” patient who survived a serious accident.
Public Safety: K-9 Narcotics Detection Demonstration: Chase, a 10-year-old Belgium Malinois mix, sniffed along the perimeter of the room and around a table before coming to a halt in front of a stacked pile of chairs. He barked several times, notifying Officer Brian Dobrzycki that he had found something suspicious. The camp teens were captivated.
Dobrzycki, OCC’s K-9 coordinator and Roseville Police Department Detective, praised Chase for finding the object he had hidden. A few minutes later, Legend, a 1-year-old Dutch shepherd, gave it a try but instead of barking when he found the object, he sat in front of the stacked chairs.
The dogs piqued the curiosity of the teens, who asked Dobrzycki plenty of questions, among them: “What are the dogs trained to do?”
The teens seemed surprised to learn that K-9 dogs do more than find narcotics or bad guys out on the loose. They can also search for explosives and cadavers, bombs at large-scale sporting and concert events, and weapons in schools. Some are even trained to detect bedbugs at hotels.
Dobrzycki, who has worked with four dogs in 20 years, told the group the job is rewarding but it requires a lot of patience and commitment to their K-9 partner.
“Does anybody play sports?,” he asked. “You don’t get better if you don’t practice. It’s the same with dogs. We work on the road every day and one day out of the week we train our dog with other local agencies in the area. Sometimes during training dogs want to do their own thing, just like kids want to do and we need to stay positive and keep working with our dogs.”
American Sign Language: “Campers, what is the sign for Hello, Good Morning, or How are You?” That day they learned how to sign those greetings as well as other common phrases and their own name during an American Sign Language presentation. Students practiced with a card that showed signs that represent letters.
Noelle Davis, 14, had fun learning how to sign but said it’s difficult.
“You have to have complete focus,” she said. “You can’t multitask when you are watching someone sign. They sign fast. I learned that I need to go slow when signing and be patient so they can understand me.”
OCC’s ASL Mentor Diana Campbell shared with students the importance of using facial expressions when signing because the Deaf community really depends on them to understand what you are feeling. OCC’s Sign Language Interpreter program was one of the nation’s first accredited associate degree Sign Language programs.
“I want to bring awareness about the Deaf community and ensure others are not fearful and make an effort to communicate,” Campbell said. “Maybe down the road they will have an interest in becoming an interpreter.”
Exploration is not “a one and done” experience
Alyssa Fisher, 13, attended the camp last year and liked it so much that she came back to OCC this summer.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do in the future so I thought I would come back to career orientation camp,” said Fisher, OCC’s returning camper. “It helped me figure out what I want to do, which is criminal scene investigation.”
Other OCC program areas youth explored during camp were graphic design, science, Spanish, paralegal and sports. Learn more information on OCC's camp programs.
About OCC
Offering nearly 100 degrees and certificates, OCC is Michigan’s largest multi-campus community college and No. 1 transfer institution in the state. The College provides academic, career training and enriching experiences, designed to empower students to reach their potential and enhance our community. More than 1 million students have enrolled in the College since it opened in 1965. A seven-person Board of Trustees governs OCC. Board members are elected on a non-partisan, at-large basis, serve as volunteers and are not paid. Mission statement: OCC is committed to empowering our students to succeed and advancing our community. Learn more at oaklandcc.edu.
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