In her 14 years working as the Career Development Coordinator at Wakefield High School, Sarah Joyner has been involved in most student’s journeys toward a successful future. From having basic conversations about career interests to setting students up with internships, Joyner has made a difference in many student’s academic and personal lives.
Joyner has devoted over a decade of her life to making sure that any student wanting to get a head start on their college and career paths can have the chance to explore their options.
“My job is to make sure that every student has a plan for after they graduate,” Joyner said.
She works with other teachers and counselors at Wakefield, including school counselor Jessica OBerto, to provide the best possible opportunities for each student. Collaboration allows Joyner to get to know each student and let her personalize each meeting, helping them pursue what most benefits them.
“She can help them sign up for an internship, she can set them up with a part-time job, [or] she can help work on their resumes,” OBerto said.
In recent years, one of Joyner’s most prominent roles has been introducing students to dual-enrollment, or CCP, courses, in which students can take online or in-person classes through a local community college. This opportunity has greatly increased in popularity at Wakefield, becoming common practice for both juniors and seniors. These classes offer students more free time, general college credits, and a high school GPA boost. Junior Sara Wenger is taking her first CCP class at Wake Tech this year.
“[The Wake Tech classes] fit better with my schedule, and give me more freedom than just taking the AP classes at school,” Wenger said.
Joyner has guided many students, including Wenger, through the process of Wake Tech applications and class enrollment. Many students find the process tricky on their own, and Joyner is essential in giving them an easier ride to college credits.
“She walked me through every step of the process, from applying [to Wake Tech], to choosing which classes I wanted to take, to getting into those classes,” Wenger said.
Another big part of Joyner’s job is allowing students to explore their career interests through part-time jobs and internships. Chelsey Akpaka, a senior, is currently doing an internship at WakeMed, replacing her fourth period course, due to her interest in the medical field. Joyner helped her find and apply to this internship to help start her on her journey.
“We don’t have any healthcare-related classes at school that would help with my career, so I thought I’d do something I was actually interested in,” Akpaka said. “In years to come, I’ll be happy I took advantage of this internship.”
Internships allow students to get experience in their area of interest before they enter college or get a job in that field, or they can enlighten students about their true passions. No matter the result, Joyner believes that the experience is worth it.
“I’ve had some students figure out that that is not the job they want to do,” Joyner said. “And I’m like – ‘You know what? It’s a win!’”
With her optimistic attitude and tireless efforts, students have grown to appreciate Joyner’s contributions to their future. Most students have gone to see her at least once in their time at Wakefield, whether it be to discuss college plans or to get a beginning-level job.
“The fact that so many of our students use her as a resource goes to show that what she does is making an impact,” OBerto said.
The end goal is to have students go on to have successful college and working careers, no matter the path they take. Joyner, along with the other counselors, are thrilled when they can see students find success and, most importantly, happiness.
“It is fun to see what some of my former students are doing,” Joyner said. “There’s an engineer at Tesla, and one of the students who did an internship with me now works at Google.”
Joyner and the Wakefield counselors agree that the end result is what their jobs are all about. The staff members put a lot of effort into helping every student throughout their school careers, and seeing their efforts come to fruition is very moralizing.
“That’s the most rewarding thing about our job,” OBerto said. “We get to see things become a reality and we can say that we had a hand in it.”
Joyner’s enthusiasm for her job has motivated her to go above and beyond what Career Development Coordinators at other schools do. With her constant networking, field trips to community events and student meetings, she works almost nonstop to provide opportunities for everyone.
“I just love what I do, so I find myself doing it all the time,” Joyner said.
Joyner has truly made her mark at Wakefield, leaving no student behind. The majority of Wakefield, staff and students, appreciate Joyner’s networking, friendly advice and overall positivity.
“[The counselors] enjoy working with her just as much as the students do,” OBerto said. “She’s just a great person to be around and a great person to have in your corner.”
