West Union High School senior Nina McCann was a recent panelist at the BB2C Summit, held at Shawnee State University. (Photo provided)
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
Shawnee State University was the site on September 26 of the BB2C (Building Bridges To Careers) Summit, a chance for business representatives, educators, students, and community organizations to work together to create thriving opportunities in Appalachian Ohio and beyond.
Some highlights of the summit included:
• Hearing directly from students about the impact of Community and Career Connected Learning experiences
•Ohio Excels: Reality Check Recommendations
• Integrating community partnerships into the classroom
• Student exploratory experiences as a workforce and economic development strategy
• The role of data in building out sustainable Community & Career Connected Learning practices
• Leveraging and Lifting Up Pre-Service Teachers
• Legislative Listening Session: What our students, businesses, and communities need to thrive
One of the guest panelists on Healthcare Pathways for Studet s was West Union High School senior Nina McCann, who shared how her Future Plans assessment has helped strengthen and guide her next steps. She even reflected that she wished, as a freshman taking the assessment, she had fully understood the value it offered in supporting her future goals and plans.
McCann was nominated by Amy Jo Queen from the GRIT Project and following is her nomination letter.
“Nina McCann is currently a senior at West Union High School. Her hobbies include playing piano, painting, photography, and caring for animals—especially her rabbits and chickens. She is actively involved in athletics, competing in golf, basketball, and cross-country. She has achieved notable success as a two-time, back-to-back Southern Hills Athletic Conference (SHAC) Player of the Year in golf, with her team recently winning the SHAC championship.
Beyond sports, she participates in the Student Council, Beta Club, National Honor Society, 4-H, Performing Arts, and her church youth program. She is also a TAG student and has enjoyed international travel, visiting Italy two years ago and preparing for a trip to England this coming summer.
Her entrepreneurial spirit has been evident from a young age. She grew her poultry and rabbit projects into a small business, at one time managing nearly 300 chickens and selling to local exhibitors and breeders. Academically and professionally, she aspires to attend Johns Hopkins University to study pre-med and ultimately become a trauma surgeon. She has already taken significant steps toward that goal, earning her Phlebotomy Technician Certification through summer programming at Shawnee State University offered by the GRIT Project.”
long her journey, Nina has been supported by OhioMeansJobs, Shawnee State University, Bear Trax, the Ohio Valley School District, BB2C, and the GRIT Project, all working together to help students explore, discover, and prepare for their futures.
