Features

Imagine this: one day you’re sitting at your desk scrolling through your emails and there it is, the opportunity to achieve one of your dreams. For one former CTE teacher, she doesn't have to imagine.

If you’ve had a CTE class at Heide Trask High School in the last few years, you've probably seen Ms. Ottilige standing in the door to her room, at the very end of the hallway. This year that will be different: you can find her sitting at her desk in her new office within the Counseling Center.

Along with this new office and position comes an entirely new workload. As the Career Development Coordinator, Ottilige is adjusting to the changes that have come with this job.

"There's a lot more paper paperwork, let me just put it that way," said Ottilige as she held up a stack of work from her desk with a chuckle. "The schedule is also totally different [from being a teacher], so I had to really work on my time management skills."

One of Ottilige's primary goals as the CDC will be to connect students with local businesses so they will be aware of the many job and career opportunities available to them in the Cape Fear region.

In September, she arranged a virtual tour of Mojotown, a business located in Burgaw, for HTHS students. Students were able to access this through the Student Services Google Classroom.

In October, she'll be focusing on arrangements for interested students to take the Armed Services Vocation Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). This test is a requirement for students who wish to go into the military.

Overall, Ottilige is excited to be able to help more students at Heide Trask.

"I really would like to be able to reach our whole school, not just students in one classroom. I'm excited about this new opportunity."