Newport News Shipbuilding’s Apprentice School hosted its fourth annual Counselors’ Breakfast Social for high school and middle school counselors.

Themed “Educating the Educator,” participants came from the Tidewater region and surrounding areas, including Cape Hatteras, the Shenandoah Valley, Stafford County, Washington, D.C., and Maryland.

The Counselors’ Breakfast Social was led by LaShand Coleman (O22), the Apprentice School’s senior talent acquisition representative.

The event included a panel discussion with Shaana Thomas (O55), a current apprentice; Cynthia Lear (O22), manager of academics; Nick Perry (O22), lead craft instructor; Tarah Leake (O22), pre-apprenticeship coordinator; and Ky’Arhea Newby (K21), NNS talent acquisition representative.

Attendees received a wealth of information and perspective about what a day in the life of an apprentice looks like.

Darin Cowan, a career specialist at New Horizons, said, “The counselors’ breakfast was a great opportunity to fully understand all that The Apprentice School has to offer. The panel of experts gave awesome insight into the life of an apprentice and the life after an apprenticeship.”

“The Apprentice School and Newport News Shipbuilding offer incredible opportunities to learners and workers,” said Katrina Clement, a high school counselor in Stafford County. “I look forward to sharing what I learned today.”