Area professionals speak to Hurley school students

By TOM STANKARD

[email protected]

Hurley - Area professionals took time out of their day on Thursday to speak with Hurley students for Career Day.

In the afternoon, Dr. Maleah Cummings spoke about being a psychologist to curious students inside the auditorium.

Cummings said she wanted to be a medical doctor, but found out it wasn't the right career for her. Then she fell "in love" with psychology, and eventually became a licensed psychologist in 2008.

In school, she said she learned psychology theories and underwent externships where she dealt with children who were experiencing difficult times in their lives.

Then, she worked at Chicago Reed Mental Health Hospital.

Cummings said she worked with patients who were schizophrenic, bi-polar, or had other mental diseases inhibiting their ability to "live life." After that, she worked at the Racine County and Cook County jails.

One of her favor clients, Cummings said, was an African American woman who believed she was "brought down from the heavens and was Mother Mary."

Cummings said there was a patient who only talked to her right leg. "He was like, 'I love your leg,'" she said. "I was like, 'OK, but you can't hang on to my leg.'"

While dealing with patients, she said one of the most important "things" she learned is that her job created a "social microcosm.

"It's fascinating to see what people do in severe circumstances," Cummings said.

She said psychology is a "fabulous career."

Across the hall, J. Mark Smith, of Bretting Manufacturing, in Ashland, Wis, talked to students about what Bretting does and what it's like to be an industrial engineer.

Smith said Bretting makes equipment for the paper converting industry. He said Bretting introduced the inter-folding napkin. Smith said Bretting also makes "gearless" printers, yard waste bags, and Swiffer machines.

He said students could one day work for Bretting in electrical, mechanical, manufacturing engineering, sales, marketing, welding and other careers.

Industrial engineering is a "basic term," Smith said.

"When I was in college, that term didn't exist," he said.

From his perspective, Smith said being an industrial engineer means "not getting stuck in a chair and doing the same thing every day.

"There's all kind of things you can do in industrial engineering," he said. "There's no aspect of a business that you can't get into."

To become an engineer, Smith said he took a lot math, science and physics courses.

"Physics is what the world is based on. Everything we do deals with physics," he said.

But Smith told students not to "miss out on" communication skills.

"You have to know how to write and communicate," he said. "You have to be good at it to get where you're going."

Smith asked students if they know what they want to do for a career. A senior student said he wanted to be an electrical engineer. A couple junior students said they wanted to be civil engineers. Another junior student said he wanted to be a welder.

Sophomore and freshman students said they didn't know, yet.

"That's OK, he said. "I didn't know what I was going to do until I was well out of college," he said.

Several other area professionals spoke to students about being veterinarians, doctors, pilots, working for the Department of Natural Resources, and other opportunities.

Melissa Oja, dean of students, said Career Day "exposed students to all the possibilities that are out there in our community."

"It's exciting to have a lot of people here from many disciplines," she said. "It provides people in professions a chance to expose students to that type of stuff."

Oja thanked the professionals who took time out of their days to come and talk to the students.