At the Knott County Area Technology Center in Hindman, Isabella Slone spent her senior year of high school learning skills that can serve her well long after graduation.
Slone, a graduate of Knott County Central High School, was part of a carpentry class that took on work repairing flooring in a home damaged by the devastating flooding that struck Eastern Kentucky in 2022. Through EKCEP’s Prosper Appalachia program, she also gained paid work experience, career guidance, and a better understanding of how the skills she learned could connect to her future.
Prosper Appalachia is EKCEP’s in-school career exploration and work-based learning initiative, helping high school students across Eastern Kentucky connect classroom learning with real workplace experience. In Knott County, EKCEP partners with LKLP Community Action Council to deliver the program locally. Darlene Campbell, a Prosper Appalachia Career Development Specialist with LKLP, worked directly with Slone and other students at the Knott County Area Technology Center.
Campbell connected with the carpentry students after learning they were already doing hands-on work through their class. Through Prosper Appalachia, that work became a paid work experience, giving students the chance to earn a paycheck while continuing to build practical skills.
Campbell helped Slone and her classmates understand the paperwork, payroll process, and expectations that came with a paid work experience.
“We talked to her. We talked about our payroll. We talked about how much we’ll be making. She explained all of that to us,” Slone said. “She worked us through all the paperwork, because none of us had ever filled out anything like that before. And then she would pull each one of us separately if we needed specific things. She helped us through everything.”
For Slone, the placement was her first job experience. Along with earning her first paycheck, she learned how to complete time sheets, follow workplace expectations, and take responsibility for the tools and materials used on the job.
“I kind of had no clue what’s going on, so I’m relying a lot on Darlene to help me through it all,” Slone said.
That support made unfamiliar parts of the process easier to manage, including completing paperwork and making sure her time sheets were correct.
The carpentry work also helped Slone build practical skills while serving someone in her own community. The project took students to a flood-damaged home near the school, where they helped replace flooring.
“Makes me feel, you know, helpful,” Slone said. “Like I can actually do something in order to change something that, it might not make a difference in my day-to-day life, but it will make a difference in [the homeowner’s] day-to-day life.”
That work carried personal meaning for Slone, whose own home was also affected by the flood. Although Slone plans to attend Morehead State University and pursue agriculture with the goal of becoming an equine dentist, she saw the value of the carpentry and workplace skills she gained through Prosper Appalachia.
“I’ll use all of these skills, whether that is working on my own farm, building equipment,” she said. “I plan to have a barn, so I’ll need to be able to put things up, and I’ll learn how to cut wood and all that stuff to be able to build my own things, replace things that need to be repaired.”
Slone said she would encourage other students to take part in Prosper Appalachia, especially if they are already learning skills in class that could translate into real work experience.
“I would recommend this program,” she said. “The program is super simple. It is well worth it.”
And with support from Campbell, Slone said, even the parts that felt unfamiliar became manageable.
“Darlene helps you through everything, even though it’s kind of complicated where you’ve never done anything like this, especially if you’re like me,” Slone said. “I get super nervous when it comes to all of that to make sure I’m doing everything right. She has made sure everything has been correct.”
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.