Career Coach Helps Kosciusko Students Turn Conversations into Careers

Tommy Trussell connects high school graduates with promising futures

Upon talking to career coach Tommy Trussell, many students at Kosciusko High School start taking seriously about the future.

“One parent said I really helped open her son’s eyes,” Trussell said. “He had never talked much about his career interests or what he wants to do, and now he talks about it all the time. That’s a great feeling.”

Trussell is one of nearly 180 career coaches deployed into Mississippi high schools by AccelerateMS, the state’s lead workforce development office. His wife, long-time Kosciusko educator Teresa Trussell, also serves as a career coach.

Career coaches help students chart career paths based on their goals and interests and connect them with jobs, internships and job-shadowing opportunities. 

Before becoming a career coach, Trussell was an adult education instructor at Holmes Community College for more than a decade and a school bus driver for 28 years. He estimates around 75% of Kosciusko graduates attend two-year or four-year colleges. For the 25% who plan to enter the workforce after graduation, Trussell helps match them with high-paying, high-skill career pathways, often in their own community.  

He observed that most career journeys start with a conversation.

“One student I recently met told me of his interest in day trading in the stock market,” said Trussell. “I asked, ‘How do you plan to make the money you’ll need to support that job?’ He said he was thinking about going into welding at Holmes and trading on the side.”

The student responded favorably to a job shadowing opportunity Trussell arranged with a local financial investor. This spring, Trussell plans to introduce the student to Holmes’ welding program.

Another student found a career match while job shadowing at Kosciusko Water & Light and was asked back for a paid summer job. Once he graduates, he plans to study at Holmes and return to the utility full time. Two other students plan to shadow a local electrician.

During monthly lunch-and-learn “career clusters,” all 600 students in grades 9-12 can meet with local businesses and learn about career opportunities in a variety of disciplines. Trussell helps students prepare to put their best foot forward by leading “power skills” sessions where they learn how to confidently introduce themselves, have a firm handshake and maintain eye contact during conversations.

“At a recent lunch-and-learn, we had eight different employers positioned around the cafeteria so students could introduce themselves and ask about careers,” Trussell said. “One student who talked to a Farm Bureau insurance agent now has a part-time job at Farm Bureau while she continues classes for her high school diploma. 

“Stories like that are very encouraging,” he said, “for the students and for me.”

AccelerateMS serves the people and businesses of Mississippi by developing and deploying workforce strategies to connect individuals with transformative, high-paying careers. By leveraging resources and partnering with organizations that hold complementary missions, AccelerateMS effectuates positive change, creating sustained individual, community, and statewide economic prosperity.

Learn more at www.coaches.acceleratems.org/.