858 students explored real careers in VR with Utica Community Schools

Utica Community Schools wanted its junior high students to see real careers — not just read about them — before they reached high school and started choosing pathways. So the district partnered with Emerge to bring EmergeXR Career Exploration to all six of its junior high schools.

The challenge

Seventh through ninth graders are right on the cusp of decisions that shape their futures: which pathways to pursue, which courses to take. But most have never seen the work behind those choices. Traditional field trips can’t reach every student, or cover every industry — and a worksheet about a career isn’t the same as standing inside one.

What we did

Emerge deployed EmergeXR across all six Utica junior high schools. Students put on a headset and stepped directly into the work — exploring a library of 40+ careers spanning agriscience, health science, manufacturing, culinary, automotive, aviation, construction, cosmetology, public safety, and more.

Each student tried a handful of careers in short, 5–10 minute simulations — enough to get a real feel for the day-to-day of each one, and to spark curiosity about paths they might never have considered.

The result

Across the district, 858 students experienced careers first-hand in a single program — exposure that makes the choices ahead of them more informed, and more their own. The numbers below show how participation broke down across all six schools.

Participation by school

BemisJunior High

118

DavisJunior High

122

EpplerJunior High

178

JeannetteJunior High

161

MalowJunior High

138

ShelbyJunior High

141

Careers students explored

AgriscienceHealth ScienceManufacturingCulinaryAutomotiveAviationConstructionCosmetologyPublic Safety