Oxford, Mississippi (November 18, 2022) — The Oxford School District has partnered with Three Rivers Planning and Development to place two new career coaches in the Oxford School District. Accelerate Mississippi, the state’s workforce development agency, received 8 million dollars this year to fund 80 career coach positions across the state.

The goal of the program is to embed coaches into school districts, so they can help students develop an understanding of post-secondary education options after high school and to help students understand how that education will prepare them for career opportunities in the state. Dr. Duncan Gray, the Director of Community and Workforce Development, believes the new positions will be a great complement to the ongoing work in the district and will allow for a more targeted approach to career counseling.

“This has the potential to really close the understanding gap. We discuss the skills gap and achievement gap, but the reality is, we have many students who have no clue how their post-secondary education is connected to the careers they want to pursue. We need to really think beyond just the next step of education and connect the dots for our students, so they can see their career trajectory,” Gray said.

Heather Ormon and Neoykee Wadley will serve as the career coaches for the Oxford School District. Both are parents of Oxford School District students and have experience working in education. Wadley, who had two children graduate from Oxford High School, said she’s looking forward to the opportunity to assist students in determining their next steps.

“I am extremely excited about working with the students at Oxford High School to help them to prepare for their futures. Given the proper resources and guidance, our students should become productive citizens in our community,” Wadley said.

Ormon, who has worked for the Oxford School District for seven years, has a senior at Oxford High School and an 8th grader at Oxford Middle School. She feels these positions can be very impactful for students in the district.

“My goal is to make sure every student has the resources and knowledge needed to be a successful adult after leaving Oxford High School,” Ormon said.

The career coaches’ office is in Oxford High School, and in addition to career guidance, they will teach classroom lessons and facilitate trips to colleges, universities, and industries in the region and across the state.