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Students from East and West Jessamine County High Schools gathered in the East Jessamine High Gym to be awarded their Work Ready Seals. 

147 students qualified for Work Ready Seals. These students demonstrate strong work ethic, work readiness, and skills. Although not all of them are going directly into the workforce after graduating, they’re prepared to do wherever their post-high school life takes them. 

These students had to apply to this program and meet the qualifications to receive this honor. They also underwent interviews with school and district officials, including Superintendent Sara Crum. To qualify, students had to meet the Jessamine County Schools Graduate Profile attributes, including Communication, Connected Citizenship, Responsibility, and Work Ethic. All of which are traits that Crum celebrated in her remarks. 

“Today, we are celebrating a significant milestone for each of you. This is an important day in your journey to graduation. One that highlights not only your academic accomplishments but also the well-rounded students that you are. This year, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to participate in the work ethic seal interviews. During that time, I let those conversations feeling so inspired by the students I got to meet with. You demonstrated a remarkable work ethic, whether it was staying up late, balancing the demands of school, assignments, after-school jobs, or getting involved in extracurricular activities. Your ability to balance the demands of all that was truly admirable,” Crum said. 

Crum continued, celebrating the students’ skills, including demonstrating critical thinking skills in the classroom, debates, and decision making. “problems in the classroom, thoughtfully debating ideas, or making important decisions for your future. The ability to think critically will be an asset you will use in whatever path you choose,” she said. Crum mentioned the students’ responsibility is shown through their ability to meet expectations and deadlines and follow through on commitments. She also recognized that these students learned the importance of showing kindness and empathy to others and staying civically engaged in the community. “I encourage you to use these skills to continue to make connections through volunteering and actively participating in the world around you,” she said. 

East Jessamine Senior Kamilla Melnik attended with her mom and sibling. She’ll attend the University of Kentucky in the fall for Biology, with plans to take the pre-dental path. “I hope to become a pediatric dentist soon, but we’ll see. I might change my mind. I liked the dental path. I’ve looked into the medical field and the dental field. I think the dental field suits me the best. It comes from my childhood. I used to go to the dentist. I loved it, but I didn’t have the most confident smile. I just want to give back to all these kids. I want them to have confident smiles and feel their best. So, that’s why I want to be a dentist, and that’s what really intrigues me about the job.”

Milnek also worked in a dental office. She said it was a good opportunity that allowed her to demonstrate her work readiness and work ethic. 

Mayor Alex Carter and Judge Executive David West were present and gave speeches to congratulate the students. The keynote speaker for the event was Morgan Murray, a member of the Rotary Club, Leadership Jessamine County, and Habitat for Humanity of Jessamine who is a certified financial planner in Jessamine County. 

“I want to leave y’all with a couple of points that I am still learning in my professional journey. First, I want to say that I recommend you take any opportunity to learn and grow,” Murray said.

Murray graduated with an English degree from Eastern Kentucky University. She didn’t know what she wanted to do after school, but she always loved English classes. “After I graduated, my career journey was a bit of a Goldie Locks story. The first thing was a little bit too tight, and the next was a little too big, and then about five years ago, I made the jump to wealth management with an English degree,” she said. 

Echoing a sentiment that Amanda Saha tells her students, Murray said, “Your job right now is to collect experiences. “You do not need to know the plan step by step for the next ten years. I still don’t. In general, so much has come to me on my career journey just by saying yes, even when I was terrified. The definition of courage, we tell our kids, is saying yes and doing something even when you are afraid or uncomfortable. 

“Second, I would always recommend that you lean into the hard things,” Murray said. She added that one of the ways you can get out of a tough situation is by looking internally and asking yourself, “‘How have I contributed to this? Where are my flaws? Where can I improve?’ That ability to be honest with yourself even when it’s hard as an employee, friend, or partner is invaluable.”

She encouraged the students to learn from difficult or “crummy” job situations and to take note of red flags– things they don’t want to deal with from employers and coworkers. She also encouraged the students to get practice and their ability to be rejected. “Every phone call I make, every conversation I have, I’m looking at somebody and asking if they will accept me or work with me. And guess what is uncomfortable, and in each of your career paths, you’re gonna have that fear and that feeling of rejection.”

“The last point I will make is that I recommend you keep a sense of humor. Things are not always easy, but hopefully, they can always be a little bit of fun. Keep a sense of humor about yourself when you screw up, and then also just about the people that you’re with,” Murray said. 

West Jessamine Principal Brady Thornton and East Jessamine Principal Chris Hawboldt gave speeches, and handed the students their work ready certificates. 

“I’m super proud of our kids. You guys set an example of what it means to be students in Jessamine County. We thank you for all the work you’ve done. This week is about you; we celebrate you in as many ways as we can. This is one of those steps. [Work Ready Seal] was not for everybody; this was something that was unique to you,” Hawboldt said. 

“We are proud of you and the work that you’ve put in. We are excited to see what you are going to do next. That’s one of the great things about being a high school senior. This week, the transition between what you’ve done and what you’re going to do fills it with nostalgia and excitement. So, thank you for taking the initiative to apply for the work ready seal. It wasn’t something you had to do; you took the initiative to do it, and that shows that you are taking steps to put yourself in the best possible position to set yourself up for success,” Thornton said.