Kimberly Trotter Helps Hattiesburg Students Discover Career Potential

Longtime educator also helps area businesses learn about available talent

Kimberly Trotter has been a fixture in education in the Hattiesburg Public School District for more than 20 years, working with students from pre-kindergarten all the way through high school as a teacher, tutor, teacher’s assistant and even as a substitute teacher. 

Her extensive background in educating local students made her transition into career coaching a natural fit. Trotter was one of more than 100 AccelerateMS career coaches deployed last fall into school districts throughout Mississippi to help high school students find successful paths into the workforce after graduation.

As a familiar presence in local schools, parents already trusted her, which helped her build rapport with students at Hattiesburg High School. In her current role, Trotter focuses on students enrolled in career and technical education programs which offer a variety of career paths including culinary arts, engineering, health science, construction and early childhood education.

“As a career coach, I assist the students with navigating career paths and taking advantage of the available resources to prepare them for the future,” says Trotter. “I meet with students one on one, which the counselors are not always available to do. Students can talk to me and ask me questions about what would be the best career paths for them.”

When Trotter begins working with new students, whether they come directly to her or she meets them on her regular classroom visits, she helps determine potential career paths based on their interests and performance in related classes. For example, a student may want to be a doctor, but if their grades don’t reflect a commitment to intensive studying, she can either help the student improve their grade point average or explore other opportunities in the medical field.

Recently, a Hattiesburg High School student who emigrated to the United States just a few years ago from El Salvador asked her about studying nursing. Although the student was timid at first, Trotter was able to earn her trust and help place her in a workforce training program at Pearl River Community College’s Woodall Center, where she will begin this fall. 

While college is still a popular path for some students to take into a career, a large segment of the student body is discovering that it’s far from the only way to success. Many CTE programs allow students to earn nationally recognized certifications they can use to get a job to help pay for college or launch their careers right out of high school.

“A lot of students may not want to go straight into college,” she says. “In the past, a lot of students coming out of high school would either go to the military or to college. But now students have so many opportunities where they can get out of high school and go straight into the workforce, because of opportunities that offer on-site training.”

Trotter helps these students research career opportunities with businesses in the region, as well as how to write a résumé, improving soft skills such as communication, and how to perform well in a job interview. She also works with businesses in the area to place students in jobs or create opportunities that could lead to future employment.

This fall, the school will partner with Mississippi Power to help students pursue careers in the utility industry. In addition, Ball will connect students from a health science class with Forrest General Hospital to explore job training in the medical field.

“We are able to talk to businesses to allow students to come in and job shadow, or give the students the opportunity to do an internship,” she says. “That opens the door for those students to get the experience they need in the workforce world.”

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.