AHPS Ag Program Leads Graduate to Successful Career Path
LOW MOOR– A recent Alleghany High School graduate credit scores the school’s agriculture program for leading him to an effective occupation course.
Hayden Moser of Clifton Forge graduated this springtime from Blue Ridge Community College with an affiliate’s level in vet technology. He is currently thinking about task opportunities with 2 vet practices.
Hayden graduated from AHS in 2021. He was extremely active in the college’s Future Farmers of America Chapter, functioning as an officer for three years. It was throughout this time that he discovered his career passion thanks to a course educated by Teresa Reed, who oversees the institution’s farming program.
“It all began with the Small Animal Care II course,” Hayden said. “We were going over work in farming one week … and also it entered into the profession of veterinary medicine. My initial choice was to be a veterinarian.”
Yet after taking into consideration the dedication and expense of investing eight years of necessary study to become a vet, Hayden decided to become a veterinary service technician. The demand for veterinary technicians is outmatching most jobs in the U.S. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the occupation is anticipated to expand by 20 percent between 2021 and 2031.
Hands-on understanding in AHS’ agriculture program and also at Blue Ridge Community College assisted encourage Hayden that he was on the appropriate occupation course. Farming falls under Career and also Technical Education classes offered by Alleghany Highlands Public Schools. CTE exposes trainees to a world of opportunity by combining class direction with hands-on experience to fulfill the altering demands of top-growing industries.
“I would recommend any type of trainee to function as well as go in a setting that includes the occupation they are considering. You need to understand if you can manage it prior to you begin your trip and pay a great deal of money for college or various other training,” Hayden stated.
As a student at Blue Ridge, Hayden obtained hands-on experience at Greenbrier Veterinary Hospital, which is based in Lewisburg, W.Va. The animal health center operates an outpatient center in Covington.
“I did what they call an externship. They made us go and also exercise the abilities they taught us. I functioned under a vet and also she examined me and sent her analysis back to Blue Ridge Community College. A vet technician likewise assessed me,” he said.
With his degree currently in hand, Hayden is taking into consideration job provides that involve dealing with small pets.
“I am more interested in operating in large pet medicine as we have a shortage of big animal veterinarians throughout the U.S. The big animal vets are mainly equine,” he stated.
Hayden lately went back to AHS to share his advice with a team of students that participated in an FFA meeting in the institution library. The college’s FFA phase has about 50 members. FFA is a career and technological pupil company (CTSO) based upon intermediate school and senior high school courses that sustain as well as promote farming education and learning. More than a typical college club, CTSOs are designed to work as trainees’ initial expert organizations.
“I sort of spoken Hayden into involving FFA when he was a student right here,” Reed claimed. “Once he came on board, he became a policeman. I might depend on him for anything.”
Hayden becomes part of an expanding list of AHS trainees who are selecting to seek professions in pet science.
“I had one pupil who is in fact going to seek becoming a veterinarian … She’s going to Virginia Tech in the loss. I had another trainee who desires to function with large animals and she is going to Randolph College in Lynchburg in the autumn. I had one more pupil, she’s not going to become a vet, but she’s going to Virginia Tech in the fall to examine animal science.
Students curious about the farming program at AHS should talk with their assistance counselor or contact Reed at.
The Alleghany County Public Schools Division was developed through the July 1, 2022, merger of Alleghany County Public Schools, Covington City Public Schools, and Jackson River Technical Center. The school division serves approximately 2,700 pupils. It is jointly funded by Alleghany County and the City of Covington.
School department information and also events are consistently upgraded on Facebook at AHPublicSchools, and the AHPS website at
www.ahps.k12.va.us.