Orchard Seniors Team With Businesses To Explore Careers

Nalleli Zermeno loves graphic design and taking photos, but is that the career for her?

Thanks to a new “community career” opportunity at Orchard Public  School, the senior is spending the fall semester paired with the Antelope County News to learn more about journalism before she moves forward with that as her career choice.

“In such a small town, most of the opportunities are agriculture related or a family business,” Zermeno said. “(Pitzer Digital has) four counties for news, and that’s what I want to do. It kind of runs like a machine, and I want to see all of the different parts and how they work, so I can see what area I want to go into when I get to the University of Omaha.”

Other Orchard seniors experiencing similar work studies are JoCee Johnston, Julian Tuttle, Holly Schacht and Erin Schwager.

ACN Publisher Carrie Pitzer said she was contacted last spring by then-guidence counselor Tammy Cheatum to see if Zermeno could spend a class period twice a week with her and the ACN staff.

“It’s really a great opportunity for the both of us,” Pitzer said. “We are going to pack a lot of information in our time together, so Nalleli will have a better understanding of what the job entails. And for me, I love her outside perspective, especially on what teenagers want to read and how they are getting their news.”

Cheatum continued working with the businesses over the summer and she’s excited to see what kind of experiences the students have, as well as how they impact their career choices.

​For Zermeno, she is planning a major in journalism, which made the ACN a perfect choice for her to spend the semester.

“I love to write. I have a creative mind, so it’s cool to put things into words,” she said. “I also like photography. Anyone can pick up a camera, but it takes someone special to find the right angles and timing. I also like graphic design, making backgrounds and putting things together.”