Students learn about career paths at USM Gulf Park

400 students from across the Mississippi Gulf Coast were able to spend a day at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Park campus.

These students were able to talk with people in different career paths that USM offers.

Ocean engineering, teaching, and language studies are just a few of the schools highlighted.

The goal is to showcase career paths the Gulf Park campus offers while giving students a peek into life after college.

Students could see some of what they would be doing and ask professionals questions, giving them the power to make an educated decision about their future.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I was 16, 17, 18…,” said Jacob Breland, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at Gulf Park, “So, what we want to do when the students start to think about what career options and paths look like for them, we just want them to know what we offer.”

It was also an opportunity for directors to gauge interest in a program.

Interim Director of the School of Ocean Science and Engineering Robert Leaf said, “We have a mission here and a responsibility, I think, to the citizens of our state to focus on the education of the stakeholders down here. We’d really like to see people from our coastal counties stay in Mississippi, stay at USM, and live and work here in the future.”

An early reminder to parents of seniors, applications for USM are already open and close August 20, 2024.