NEMCC Career Development Academy provides inspiration and motivation

The camp helps young people explore possible career choices, and also teaches valuable life skills

BOONEVILLE, MISS. (WCBI) – As one group of campers was building bridges out of balsa wood for an engineering project, another was playing a fast-paced, musical game.

This is the fifth year NEMCC has hosted the Career Development Academy Camp.   It runs three days a week. And every day is a full day.

“We usually start out with breakfast and then they go to the first learning activity, could be health-related, or science,   then fun stuff, lunch, they switch classes, some days they go to the gym, other days outside activities, like kickball,” said Assistant Jalisa Estes.

The campers are in grades four through twelfth.  And while they learn about STEM subjects, and the arts, they also are taught other valuable lessons, such as the dangers of drugs and alcohol, and how to make wise decisions, in relationships and dating.

“It teaches you life skills and you can have the most fun in your life,” said Webb Devaughn, of Marietta.

“Right not I’m looking at being an engineer, so this is helping me learn about engineering,” said Thomas Long, of Booneville.

The CDA Camp has impacted a lot of students through the years.  In fact, one of the assistants this year credits the CDA Camp with giving her life direction and meaning.

“My first year coming here, this camp helped me find who I am as a person.  Without this camp, before the camp, I wanted to drop out of school, because I didn’t know what I wanted to be, they helped me find out I liked architecture, so I will be going into architecture,” said Breanna Gardner, who attended the camp for five years as a student.

Gardner encourages parents to sign their kids up for the CDA Camp.  She knows firsthand the importance of inspiration and motivation.

The CDA camps are free to students and run through mid-July.  For information on how to register, go to nemcc.edu/cda