Author: Christy Simmons
Kara Guthrie paid more interest than usual when she saw the email pop up in her inbox with subject: “Coastal STEM Career Fair” last year. When she opened it and learned the event was “geared toward Middle & High School students from… Teen Centers through Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain…”, she knew she had to get involved. Along with colleagues Rich Mahoney and Wayne Hall, Kara soon had a team signed up and ready to educate youth about extending a love for and interest in science into a career.
Photo credit: NC Division of Coastal Management
“I have a long history with the Boys and Girls Club and thought this would be a great event to attend,” said Guthrie, an environmental specialist with the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management (DCM) in Morehead City. “I love science and getting to show/teach students in an environment that I was once familiar with, felt like a good step for DCM.”
The Division carries out the state's Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA), the Dredge and Fill Law and the federal Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 in the 20 coastal counties. CAMA will celebrate its 50th Anniversary in 2024.
“CAMA isn’t always something people know about,” Guthrie continued. “This is a good opportunity to show children what they could be doing in the future.”
Photo credit: NC Division of Coastal Management
Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) are a growing field.
State agencies like DEQ rely on STEM-educated graduates to fill critical staff positions, as do many private sector industries. One way to help meet the demand for these graduates is to spark an interest in STEM careers as early as possible.
From age seven to 12, Guthrie attended the Morehead City Sunshine Lady Club which was the third Boys & Girls Club of Coastal Carolina to open.
Guthrie remembers participating in a lot of internal activities daily as a BCG youth, but also field trips. One of her most memorable trips was getting to see a women’s college basketball championship game one year.
But her experience didn’t stop at being a club member. Guthrie soon joined the BGC staff.
“I was part of a work study program in high school and was offered a position as a staff assistant because I wanted to work with children, and I also had history with going there as a young child,” said Guthrie.
As a staff assistant, Guthrie helped lead staff with children in all the settings, whether it was an activity planned in the club or attend field trips with the youth groups. She also assisted with front desk duties.
“I spent a lot of time doing hands-on things with them in the club,” said Guthrie. “That would be something as simple as art projects or physically playing with them in the gym or outdoors. I built relationships with them and got to watch them grow while I was still learning myself. Working with children of all kinds of backgrounds was always a little of a struggle. You never know what someone is going through or has experienced. Seeing that firsthand and trying to learn and help them was difficult, but a good experience.”
Kara went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in biology with a focus in molecular cell from East Carolina University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree.
Her job at DCM is less than a mile from the Club. So, when Guthrie saw the 2023 email, she knew it was her opportunity to return to BGC, interact with and teach youth about her BGC experience, share the journey to her current career in science and to give back to the BGC community which helped shape her future.
She said she enjoyed showing the children the different tools used every day in her role as an environmental specialist with DCM. In a job where fieldwork is often a solo experience, getting to do something in-person and hands-on was important. She was most surprised by how much the children loved seeing and using the measuring wheel!
Photo credit: Boys & Girls Club of the Coastal Plain
“I think the children learned that there are so many different options in STEM just in our area alone,” said Guthrie. “There were so many different organizations at the Career Fair, and I hope by attending the event it opened the children’s eyes to see the availability in science careers for them in the future.”
“Growing up on the coast, I got to spend every day outdoors and on the water. This inspired my love of the ocean and the science around it. I enjoy getting to continuously learn and share my knowledge and how we can with protect our coastal communities.”
“I am super thankful for the opportunity to help spread what CAMA is and what we do as environmental specialists in the community. I think this was a great start in the outreach for STEM in our community and I look forward to getting to do more things like this for all age groups!”
Learn more about the Division of Coastal Management at https://www.deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/division-coastal-management.
For information on available internships and job opportunities, please visit the Work at DEQ page https://www.deq.nc.gov/about/work-deq.
*Summary photo credit: Boys & Girls Club of the Coastal Plain