Students given glimpse into future possibilities

Polk County high school juniors were invited to “Picture their Future” by attending a recent conference at Western Oregon University. Submitted photo.

MONMOUTH - Western Oregon University hosted Polk County’s youth conference earlier this month for the second year in a row.

The conference invited all rural Polk County high school juniors to “Picture their Future.”

Polk County Family & Community Department (FCO) Prevention Program’s goal this conference was to open students’ minds to what opportunities are available to them after high school. This included hearing from industry professionals about their careers, including Western’s President Jesse Peters.

"It was great to have President Peters speak and for bringing energy to the conference early on. It was really exciting because, for many students, when they can hear from someone in Western's administration, they feel so welcomed at the conference and on campus,” said Annie Buse, prevention coordinator at FCO. “We love hosting this conference at Western because students have shared that this is their dream school and for others, until they are on Western's campus, they don't know it's an option for them."

The university hosts a variety of conferences throughout the year. This conference echoes Western’s commitment to supporting students in their career goals. 

- WOU press release