Pike County High School ninth-grade students learned about several technical programs of study at Lurleen B. Wallace Community College (LBWCC) during a recent campus visit in Opp.

“We were happy to host 61 students to learn about various technical training available in the area,” said Heather Owen, LBWCC recruitment director. “Our goal was to show them different career options through postsecondary education. They experienced a lot of hands-on activities in the various programs and seemed to enjoy the day.”

The students and their parents may qualify for a two-year college tuition waiver through a program of the Alabama Community College System called GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs).

GEAR UP focuses on helping students pursue education and training beyond high school, and is a statewide initiative coordinated by the University of Alabama at Birmingham and funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Over the next few years, 50 Alabama schools in 17 counties in the Alabama Black Belt will participate, including schools in Pike County.

While at LBWCC, students participated in preparing patients for an I.V. in the nursing program, conducting ultrasounds in the diagnostic medical sonography program, planting trees in the forest technology program, curling hair using different techniques in the cosmetic arts program, racing robotics in the industrial electronics program, starting an engine in the diesel and heavy equipment mechanics program, using a simulated virtual welding machine, and racing to change a tire in the automotive mechanics program.

“We enjoyed our visit so much,” said Ashley Harrison Fuller, PCHS social science teacher. For more information about LBWCC’s programs, call 334-881-2282.