Paisleigh Wilson was looking for something many high school students need but often struggle to find: a first job that would give her real experience and help her think more clearly about her future.
Through Prosper Appalachia, EKCEP’s in-school career exploration and work-based learning initiative, Wilson found that opportunity. The program helps Eastern Kentucky high school students connect with local career guidance, paid work experience, and hands-on opportunities tied to their interests. In Bell County, EKCEP partners with Bell-Whitley Community Action Agency to deliver the program locally and connect students with Career Development Specialists who help them explore their options.
As a junior, Wilson had already tried to enter the workforce, but she quickly ran into a challenge familiar to many young jobseekers.
“I was trying to find a job and I just could not,” Wilson said. “Like people weren’t hiring me because I’m a teenager. They wanted you to have work experience, but they didn’t want to give it to you.”
That began to change when Wilson heard other students talking about Prosper Appalachia. She later connected with Taryn Mills, a Bell-Whitley Career Development Specialist, who helped walk her through the process.
“She makes everything super simple,” Wilson said.
For Wilson, that personal guidance helped turn career exploration from a vague idea into something practical. She had considered cosmetology and teaching, and Prosper Appalachia helped her think through both possibilities while also keeping her open to other options.
“She’s always more thinking ahead for us rather than just like a short-term job for high school,” Wilson said.
That forward-thinking approach opened the door to opportunities connected with Wilson’s marketing class at school. Through Prosper Appalachia and Bell-Whitley, she helped with streaming and media coverage for school events, including games at the Corbin Arena, while gaining paid work experience. She also worked at the Pineville Library, where she reconnected with her love of reading and had the chance to talk with people about books and authors.
The media work, in particular, gave Wilson a closer look at a career field she had enjoyed as a student but had not seriously considered as a future path.
“There was no actual structure, like this is what a marketing job would be like,” Wilson said. “So having it through the class and then it being supported through the district and the school and through Bell-Whitley, it was more like, this is actually the real deal.”
Wilson said the experience helped her build confidence, make connections, and better understand what different careers can look like in the real world. At the Corbin Arena, she met someone who works in regional media and marketing, which helped her see how the kind of work she was doing could connect to an actual career.
“Getting to do the hands-on learning and then talk to people. I’ve enjoyed it,” Wilson said. “I’ve had a really good time this year.”
She said Prosper Appalachia also gave her a sense of support that made trying something new less intimidating. Instead of being expected to figure everything out alone, she had someone helping her navigate the process, communicate with employers, and think about what kind of work might fit her interests.
Now, Wilson said she feels better prepared for work, college, and whatever career path she ultimately chooses.
“Seeing that it’s not scary to talk to people and try new things and figure things out for yourself,” Wilson said, “it’s been great to try and learn and work through and make new interests.”
Prosper Appalachia is funded in part through support from the Kentucky General Assembly as part of the Putting Young Kentuckians to Work initiative, but private donations help EKCEP expand critical work experience opportunities for students across Eastern Kentucky. To invest in the future of our region’s young people, donate directly at ekcep.org/donate.
EKCEP, a nonprofit workforce development agency headquartered in Hazard, Ky., serves the citizens of 23 Appalachian coalfield counties. EKCEP is funded by the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, along with various federal and state grants and private donations, and is a proud partner in the American Job Center network.