Participating in the UW-sponsored “Live Local, Work Local” program are UW students
Aurora Noe, Cheyenne; Bryley Van Doren, Greeley, Colo.; Jennie Hedrick, UW College
of Business Internships and Online Programs coordinator; Christopher Kingwill, Chicago,
Ill.; and Robert Millar, Ballymena, Northern Ireland. Back row, Tiffany Prather, Rock
Springs; Todd Muller, Evanston; Kody Thomas, Rock Springs; Hunter Lee, Green River;
and Tyler Grabner, UW College of Engineering and Applied Science project coordinator.
(UW Photo)
Ten University of Wyoming students recently participated in a “Live Local, Work Local”
career experience in Sweetwater County. The program provides students opportunities
to live and work in Wyoming.
The UW career services team worked with the Sweetwater Economic Development Coalition
to organize the opportunity for Sweetwater County communities to highlight their businesses,
careers and cities while increasing students’ career awareness of Wyoming opportunities.
Career services team members were from the UW colleges of Engineering and Applied
Science, Business, and Agriculture and Natural Resources; and UW’s School of Energy
Resources, and the Advising, Career and Exploratory Studies Center.
Participating UW students have majors in management, chemical engineering, education,
anthropology, geology and geography.
Students toured Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County on the first day. A business
panel followed, composed of Gary Collins, of SweetwaterNOW; Mark Cowan, of Radiant
Manufacturing; and Jessica Evans, of Royal Flush Advertising. Participants learned
some of the pros and cons of small business ownership.
Students attended a networking reception at the historic Broadway Theater featuring
Rock Springs City Council President Tim Savage and Chad Banks, the Rock Springs Downtown
Urban Renewal Agency Main Street manager.
Students on the second day toured trona mines Genesis-Alkali, TATA Chemicals and HydraFab
in Green River. The tours helped participants to understand one of the major industries
in southwest Wyoming.
“I gained a new appreciation for smaller communities as a viable place of employment,
with routes for progression,” says Robert Millar, a UW student from Ballymena, Northern
Ireland. “It broadened my knowledge of new industries and gave me wider knowledge
of Wyoming's coal/gas dilemma and then how the trona and small companies combat this
until a viable alternative is developed.”
Students later met with county Commissioners Roy Lloyd and Wally Johnson; Green River
Mayor Pete Rust and city Administrator Reed Clevenger; and Rock Springs City Council
members Glennise Wendorf and Jeannie Demas.
During the final days, students met with organization representatives to ask more
focused questions. One group visited Rock Springs Junior High, Stagecoach Elementary,
Western Wyoming Community College and Black Butte High School.
A second group went to Simplot Phosphates, Western Engineers and Geologists, Mountain
States Pressure Services and Wyoming Machinery.
“'Live Local, Work Local' helped me decide that moving back to the Rock Springs area
is exactly what I need,” says UW student Tiffany Prather, from Rock Springs. “I had
many opportunities to speak with employers about their companies and talk about my
plans after I graduate. I recommend to any future students looking at that area. It
was very helpful for me!”
The third group went to the Sweetwater County Land Use and Planning and Zoning Department,
Hager Industries, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and JFC Engineers and Surveyors.
The most interesting and beneficial visit for anthropology student Aurora Noe, from
Cheyenne, was to speak to a BLM anthropologist.
“This really opened up my eyes to what they really do. They explain that, although
they are archaeologists, they do not solely do archaeology,” she says. “They also
utilize cultural anthropology, which is the direction in anthropology that I plan
to go into. I am now interested in possibly doing an internship with them.”
To learn more about the program, call the UW Advising, Career and Exploratory Studies
Center at (307) 766-2398 or email aces@uwyo.edu.
Students who participated in the Sweetwater County event are:
Ballymena, Northern Ireland -- Robert Millar.
Cheyenne -- Aurora Noe.
Chicago, Ill. -- Christopher Kingwill.
Evanston -- Todd Muller.
Ghana, West Africa -- Johannes Addido.
Greeley, Colo. -- Bryley Van Doren.
Green River -- Hunter Lee.
Laramie -- Jeremia Varca.
Rock Springs -- Tiffany Prather and Kody Thomas.
