Throughout the school year, the Jr./Sr. High School’s College & Career Enrichment Program connects seniors with professionals from a variety of career fields. On March 16, five seniors interested in pursuing a career in the mental health field met with Jodi Klostreich of the Center for Family Life and Recovery (CFLR), which has offices in Utica, Rome and Herkimer.
Klostreich is the Director of Prevention Services at CFLR. In her role, she oversees the prevention department and assists the recovery department. Services include drug, alcohol and suicide prevention in schools, helping families navigate school programs and communicate with school staff, grief and loss counseling, anger management counseling and NARCAN training. While the CFLR does not offer treatment, it does refer clients to addiction treatment centers through a number of collaborative partnerships.
“What we do is very large and impactful in our community,” Klostreich said.
During the 40-minute session in the Media Productions classroom in the Jr./Sr. High School, the students were able to ask Klostreich questions about her profession, how she started and why she recommends the field. Four of the five students plan to major in psychology, community and behavioral health or human services in college. 
“We learned a lot about the different aspects of counseling and how much goes into it,” senior Samantha Dee said. “She went into great detail about the classes we should take in college and explained how a variety of experiences will only lead to more knowledge.”
The College & Career Enrichment Program gives every senior several, unique opportunities to shadow a professional in his or her work environment. This allows students to learn, first hand, how the important workplace skills they are learning in the classroom can be applied in the real world. Above all, students can confirm their desire to pursue a particular career or become motivated to explore other avenues.
Throughout the school year, and in addition to visits to job sites and shadowing experiences, seniors meet with professionals like Klostreich, or professionals in careers they are interested in pursuing. The meetings enable students to learn more about their interests in an intimate, interactive setting.
“I absolutely love sharing what I know and my knowledge and experience with students because they are our future and our future in the (mental health) field,” Klostreich, who has promoted interns to full-time positions in the past, said. “Giving them as much information as possible before they go to college is so incredibly important.”
In order to participate in the College & Career Enrichment Program, each senior must be in good academic standing and create a portfolio, which includes a cover letter, resume and references. Additionally, each senior is required to complete a research paper about his or her career choice, write a reflective essay at the conclusion of every visit to a specific job site or visit with a professional and send a thank you card to their host.