UTICA - Telling 300 participants in the Oneida County Summer Youth Employment Program that they have the power to change their lives and achieve their dreams, Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. and Utica Police Recruit Officer Starr Rae Wooden today urged the youth to use their summer work experience as a springboard to new achievements in school, in the community and in their lives.

“The lessons you have learned through the Summer Youth Employment Program will help you long after summer has ended,” Picente told more than 300 students at an achievement ceremony held at the MVCC Utica campus. “You now have new skills you can use for success in school, at work and in your lives. The workplace teaches valuable lessons about teamwork, about diversity and about the kinds of success you can have by staying focused. Use what you learned this summer to succeed at school, and in life.”

Wooden, a former summer youth program participant and the first African-American woman to join the Utica Police Department, called upon the teens in the program to look past the easy way out and work for long-term success. “I grew up in Utica. I know what it was like. I know the choices. I know the life. I also know that there is nothing you can’t rise above if you decide you are going to control your life, and not let anyone take your life and your future away from you,” she said.

Citing her career as a sports star at Proctor High School, she noted that her secret to success was not sports, but the hard work in academics that earned her the President's Medal for Outstanding Undergraduate Student for excellence both in and beyond the classroom. “I worked as hard on the books as I ever did on the field. Even harder. I have a bachelor’s degree. I have a master’s degree – and that’s nothing that every one of you can’t achieve. I’ve worked for companies that do business around the world, and now I am doing what my heart wants me to do because I want to give something back to this community. When Officer Lindsey was killed, it made something very clear to me that I want to share with you – you can either live your life on the side that builds this community up, or you can let people tear it down.”

Picente and Wooden were joined by Assemblywoman RoAnn Destito, MVCC President Randall Van Wagoner; David Mathis, Director of Oneida County Workforce Development, as well as representatives of the offices of Gov. David Paterson and Senator Joseph Griffo.

Several students also spoke at the closing ceremony:

Lucas Walker and Ka Paw Wah spoke about the Health Occupations Program operated through the Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES School and Business Alliance (SABA). In the program, students explored careers in the health industry, participated in occupational training and learned basic healthcare procedures. Students worked at Faxton and St. Luke’s Hospitals.

Kameron Cubbage spoke about the Construction Career Project with SABA. In this project, students designed and built projects to assist the Utica Zoo. Students were responsible for the entire construction project, from measuring and deciding upon materials to the final construction work.

Paris McLean spoke about the Civil Engineering Program operated through SABA. This project addresses the anticipated need for civil engineers and technicians in the Mohawk Valley. Students participated in worksite experiences with the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT). Students learned basic civil engineering skills.

In addition to the programs noted above, the Oneida County Summer Youth Employment Program, placed youth at a variety of worksites designed to help youth gain valuable work experience and contribute to projects that assist community and civic groups in their work. “We are all part of the community, and we need to work together,” Picente said. “Giving back to the community is something we all can do; by working with our local agencies to help them operate programs for younger children, youth have learned about responsibility and how to help the community.”

The Summer Youth Employment Program also included a strong academic component, featuring academic experiences at Utica’s Martin Luther King School Technology Center.

Students at the King School Technology Center learned computer operations skills that can put them ahead. “Technology skills involve a lot more than just the Internet,” said Oneida County Workforce Development Director David Mathis. “Technology can help our youth do better in school. The more they learn about computers and operating them, the better they will do in school and the more they can do in an office environment.”

“The Summer Youth Employment Program provides vital work experience for teen-agers who would not have a job any other way,” Mathis said. “I believe strongly in using this program to provide young people with basic work lessons about teamwork, but also in using this to bolster academic skills. Thanks to the funding we received from the state and the support we received from the community, young people who would not otherwise have had employment this summer learned about the world of work.”