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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Flash flooding washes through downtown Ashland ... New pups confirmed in OR-7's Rogue Pack ... Police Reports ... Flash flooding washes through downtown Ashland ... New pups confirmed in OR-7's Rogue Pack ... Police Reports ... EDUCATION AHS students get the skinny on wide range of jobs during career day Comment By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Feb. 16, 2015 at 4:32 PM Updated Feb 16, 2015 at 5:09 PM By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Feb. 16, 2015 at 4:32 PM Updated Feb 16, 2015 at 5:09 PM » Social News Ethan Croyle may be leaning toward a career in mechanical or civil engineering, but that doesn’t mean the Ashland High junior isn’t open to other possibilities. Croyle learned about a few more at Ashland High’s career day on Thursday, including one that may be right up his alley, though he probably never considered a future in advanced spatial measurement and 3D visualization before sitting through a presentation by Epic Scan’s Carlos Velazquez. Epic Scan, based in Medford, uses laser scanners to “digitize the world,” a service that has dozens of applications, from mapping out crime scenes to architectural renderings. It also happens to be pretty cool, says Croyle. “I think it’s great,” he said after watching Velazquez’s presentation, which included a laser scanner working its magic in the corner of the room as Velazquez explained how it worked. “It’s extremely interesting to see what you can use your majors for. And just creating new technologies and using new technologies to change the world around you in a way, make it easier to discover new things.” And that was before Croyle’s third session of the day, dedicated to a career path which has nothing to do with engineering. “Now,” he said, “I’m going to go check out the spy.” That would be James Adams, who worked for the “British Intelligence Service” according to the career day itinerary and spoke about “spying in the 21st century.” Adams did not allow reporters to record video or audio during his presentation, but Ashland High junior Keeley O’Dougherty gave the session high marks. “That was super-interesting,” she said. O’Dougherty also signed up to watch a presentation by Justin Pollack of the California Highway Patrol — each student chooses four presentations to attend, and career day is strategically scheduled before students pick classes for the following school year. AHS does this “to increase the relevance of a high school education, so that students don’t just get a diploma but they know what their next compelling steps are after high school, and they are prepared to be successful in them,” according to Principal Michelle Zundel. Pollack, who works in Yreka, was only a few minutes into his presentation when he was asked about his gear, what he carries with him. Yes, that's a stun gun. Yes, he's required to wear a bullet-proof vest. He was also asked what he looks for when he pulls over a driver, and what should the driver do when he or she is being approached by an officer. “So we shouldn’t reach for something in the car?” somebody asked. “Uh, no,” Pollack said, smiling. Another student asked what being shot with a taser gun feels like. Pollack knows because every highway patrol officer must endure a shot during basic training. “It was the most painful experience of my life,” Pollack said. He then played a video that showed the strict, demanding training regimen that every CHP officer must endure at the academy. The footage of the boot camp looked like a military training exercise, complete with CHP hopefuls getting screamed at, sprinting through obstacle courses and sitting in cars as they fill up with tear gas. O’Dougherty was impressed, but isn’t planning to embark on a career in law enforcement. “The training seems pretty intense,” she said. “It’s not really my kind of thing, but I wanted to see what it actually took because I’ve never seen it other than what’s on TV. And before listening to (Pollack), he sounded super-fun, like 'Yeah, it’s a fun job,' but then he actually talked about what they do and it made me respect it a lot more.” Career day has been a part of Ashland High’s curriculum for decades but until five years ago was only offered once every four years. Making that switch was crucial to the school meeting its responsibility, says Zundel, “not just to prepare students academically, but to prepare them for college and careers.” Most of the booking is handled by the school’s staff of volunteers, who arranged for a combined 94 local professions in 23 career categories ranging from dentistry to animal science to share with the student what the job actually looks like in the real world and what they’ll need to do in order to land a job. “I believe that lives have been changed today, and that’s not hyperbole,” Zundel said. “I had a student come out of a type of digital arts presentation. And she stopped me in the quad and said I just saw so and so and I didn’t even know I was interested in that. And so you think about those ah-ha moments happening all over campus, for a thousand students.” Reach reporter Joe Zavala at [email protected].   By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Feb. 16, 2015 at 4:32 PM Updated Feb 16, 2015 at 5:09 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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