Allen Park High School has been selected to be one of Wayne RESA’s initial schools to receive the services of a Career Counselor. This initiative started about 2 years ago when Wayne RESA Superintendent Dr. Liepa envisioned a program that pooled together all of the workforce resources and opportunities such as apprenticeships, certificates, training, career exploration etc. and put them directly into the hands of all guidance counselors in Wayne County. The goal is to give as many resources as possible to students who do not plan on attending a 4 year university immediately after graduation. This evolved into the creation of an inventory website and employment of 2 full time Career Counselors to partner with select high schools on a rotating basis. The work of the Career Counselors will be to assist students who are looking to pursue a career in professional trades (formally referred to as skilled trades) or students that are still in the exploration phase of what they want to do after high school and directly connect and/or enroll them in the appropriate programs needed in order to be industry ready. This model is groundbreaking and the first of its kind in the State of Michigan. It will be used down the road sas an example in which other districts can create a similar model and is receiving financial support from Lansing.
Sarah Strohbeck has been assigned as the CAreer Counselor to work with the students and staff of Allen Park High School. Sarah has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Secondary Education from Wayne State University, Master of Arts in Counseling from Central Michigan University, and holds a Professional Teaching Certificate with English, Political Science, and Guidance & Counseling endorsements. She also has a Limited Professional Counselor License, and has completed Career Development Facilitator training through Oakland University. Sarah began her career as a classroom teacher in Macomb County spending 5 years teaching English at the middle, high, and alternative levels. For the last 10 years of her career she has been a guidance counselor with experience in not only a traditional high school setting, but also working with the Early College of Macomb. During this experience Sarah managed a caseload of high school students who were enrolled in community college courses as well as created and taught curriculum that focused on workforce development such as: soft skills, effective communication, resume writing, technical writing, career exploration, job shadow placement, and how to select a college major to align with your desired career pathway. Sarah’s most recent work was as a guidance counselor at Grosse Ile High School.
Sarah will spend a few days a month all school year working with students who are seeking assistance in figuring out what their next steps should be. Sarah will create action plans with these students and connect them to the right post-secondary programs that will support their transition into the desired professional trade. This will include job shadowing, career assessments, program enrollment, knowledge of apprenticeship process, classroom presentations, etc. As this program evolves it will adjust as needed in order to meet the needs of our students and make sure we have a “pipeline” for those wanting a career in the professional trades. 
