Voices In the Field

“Voices in the Field” is a project led by Whiting High School (Albany County School District #1) Principal Malinda Garcia. Malinda started the project during her time as a teacher up at Wind River High school and has led it since 2020 with support from the Wyoming School-University Partnership. In this capstone course, students learn about the research process by establishing a hypothesis, conducting the review of research & necessary investigatory ethics guidelines, and presenting the research once completed. 

During October in each academic year, the seniors in the capstone meet with professionals in various fields to learn about what education and skills are needed. In this way, there is a focus on professional leadership and personal development that is a key distinction between “Voices in the Field” and many job fairs. The professionals are lending their voices and the students are an audience willing to ask the needed questions to gain deep insight. Some of the professionals present include community college personnel, professors (agriculture, health, humanities, engineering, etc.), vocational occupations, and workers in various community and government roles.             

During April in each academic year, the seniors visit the University of Wyoming campus for a few days to present their research and to undergo tours around the WyoTech and UW campuses. At this time, professors are invited to be present and ask questions for the students. In addition, the students learn about resources on campus including the Native American Education, Research, and Cultural Center, the UW Planetarium, UW Geology Museum, and informational sessions around financial aid and scholarships.

Projects such as these are key to developing the necessary skills for our Wyoming students and it is of great benefit that we have teachers leading this front. If you are interested in assisting as a professional mentor or learning more about how to partner with this capstone course, please contact Malinda Garcia at mgarcia@acsd1.org. If you are interested in learning how WSUP can work with you to enhance your projects with students or how the Partnership can help support you, please contact partnership@uwyo.edu.