MARK WAITE / PVT High school student Tiffany Pryor, at right, watches as nail technician Linda Peterson works on a customer at CC's Beauty Zone during the Soroptomist Club's Shadow Your Future day. In the background, Nishelle Robbins, who was following a Pahrump Valley Times reporter, photographs the scene for the high school yearbook. MARK WAITE / PVT Melissa Monge receives a certificate for participating in the Shadow Your Future event from Soroptomist officials Willi Baer and Claudette Crooks during a breakfast at the Charleston Peak RV Resort Clubhouse Monday morning. Advertisement

Eighteen high school girls got a firsthand look at the world of work, from being a judge to filing fingernails, during the second annual Soroptomist Club's Shadow Your Future event Monday.

That was a significant increase from the 10 who participated in the program last year.

The defunct School to Careers program had a job shadow day several years ago, timed to coincide with Groundhog Day Feb. 2.

Willi Baer, president of Soroptomist International of Pahrump Valley urged the women to remember the day as a first steptoward fulfilling their career dreams. Each was given a bracelet with words of encouragement during the 7 a.m. breakfast starting the day at the Charleston Peak RV Park Clubhouse.

"When Soroptomists first started here, we wanted to have a program that had an impact on the community, not just bake sales," Baer said.

Last year, one of the young women who attended sessions in Pahrump Justice Court praised the program and decided to seek a law career, she said.

"One girl wanted to be a pharmacist. Well they aren't allowed to be behind the counter at the pharmacy," Baer said.

Another request to shadow an employee at the Nevada Division of Mental Health by a woman who wanted to be a psychiatrist, was put on hold because of the new privacy laws. But Baer said the agency will probably give its consent next year.

Danielle Osmun and Alexis Carroll spent the morning with Pahrump Justice of the Peace Tina Brisebill and were lined up for a tour of the county jail booking area. They watched a defendant appear in court for driving under the influence of alcohol, a controlled substance case and a motorist who drove 95 mph in a 55 mph zone. But most cases that morning were in Spanish.

"They have one day where they have Hispanics and they put them in with Spanish-speaking translators," Osmun said.

A couple girls were sent up to Beatty to accompany Stacey Smith of the Nye Community Coalition to a meeting. Two women, Nzara Price, who is home schooled, and Nishelle Robbins, who works on the Pahrump Valley High School yearbook, followed this Pahrump Valley Times reporter for the day.

Another student spent the morning at the Pahrump Valley Chamber of Commerce with Executive Director Kari Frilot. Still another girl followed Elyssa Couch, who is a counselor at Manse Elementary School.

Soroptomist Mary Balloqui, co-owner of Sunrise Acres, was unable to find a student to follow her around.

"Nobody wants to be a farmer," she joked.

The Shadow Your Future day was the brainchild of Soroptomist Linda Fitzgibbons, who participated in a similar event when she was young.

Mentors who showed the girls their daily routine were urged to introduce the students to other types of jobs at the work place; relate their own educational background; give them jobs to perform; share experiences and provide information on their career like salary ranges and educational requirements as well as the benefits or drawbacks to their position.

The 18 students took time out of their own schedule Sunday for a career success seminar that included counseling by hair and makeup professionals at CC's Beauty Zone, run by Soroptomist President-Elect Claudette Crooks.

A letter from Crooks to the mentors said, "The visibility of this event enables us to spread the word of Soroptomist and encourage young women in the community to follow their career dreams."