Program links Mt. Pleasant students with job options

For Mt. Pleasant, the Iowa Jobs for American Graduates program is relatively new.

Still it is proving popular.

Called iJAG, more than 100 students expressed interest at the beginning of the 2020-21 school year, and though the program is supposed to cap out at 50, teacher Tony Swayzer said he fought hard to keep those students in the program.

'We were able to have 80 students during the fall semester, and at the start of the spring semester, there were still 77 students in the program, so it's definitely something the kids are interested in,” Swayzer said in a presentation to the Mt. Pleasant school board last week.

iJAG is a national and statewide program that focuses on presenting high school students with different opportunities outside of college - opportunities such as technical schools, apprenticeships, and job shadows.

The program provides hands-on, project-based learning for students in the program.

'This is only our second year, but I've gained so much more knowledge and confidence in the past two years in this program,” Swayzer said. 'I feel comfortable in leading it, and the program itself is really growing into the school's community.

'At the beginning of the program, students take a bunch of different questionnaires to determine what kind of fields or work they might be interested in, and from there, it's all tailored to what fits them best,” Swayzer said.

Though COVID presented some challenges for the program, Swayzer thinks it was for the better.

'COVID really challenged us to do the program in a better way, and though it was tough, I think we figured it out,” he said. 'Even with figuring out job shadows, there weren't really too many issues, and for that I am grateful.”

Swayzer hopes that iJAG will continue to grow at the high school, and that students in the program will truly benefit from it.

'I try to keep in contact with the program students for a year after they graduate,” Swayzer said. 'Whether they need something like a resume or someone to talk to, I want them to know that I am here for them. It's being there every day, being seen and making these small connections that matters.”