Stuttgart High School’s Career Practicum program opens doors for teens

If you have visited the passport office, dental clinic, or Red Cross you have likely interacted with one of the many career practicum students in the Stuttgart community. Career Practicum is a unique class offered at Stuttgart High School that allows students to gain hands-on work experience for two or three periods of their school day with options including assisting teachers at both the high school and elementary school or working outside the school in settings such as public affairs, the USO, and even military units, such as U.S. Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR)’s J6 unit. 

Luke Wirtanen is one of the three lucky students who was selected to work at SOCEUR this year. His supervisor, Sgt. 1st Class Bryan Buress, says he was immediately impressed with his abilities. 

“Luke has an unprecedented ability to maneuver in a technical space,” Buress said. “Luke’s impressive knowledge of microcontrollers and electrical engineering earned him the immediate admiration of the team.” Some would even say that he is something of a tech unicorn, which is a person who has far exceeded all expectations and become massively successful, but Luke says he has not yet earned that title.

This February, to further improve his tech prowess, Luke participated in a hackathon where his team of five people won first place in the competition with their tiny radar that can detect infantry troops from long distances. He was also the youngest contestant and the only high school student to partake in the competition. They won $25,000 which Luke and the others used to start their own defense tech company, Tiresias Systems.

While this opportunity was unconnected to his work at the J6, Luke cited his mentors there for helping equip him with the skills that allowed him to succeed. He credits Career Practicum with exposing him to the world of military contracting and helping him decide on the right path. 

Dawn MacFarland, Stuttgart High School’s Career Practicum teacher, agreed with this sentiment.

“It is the ideal situation when a student's passion aligns with a mentor in the community,” she said. 

MacFarland also emphasized the broader impact of the Career Practicum program noting that it is such an important facet of this community as it allows young adults to learn workplace skills and allows the USAG Stuttgart community to come together and help these young adults acquire necessary skills and help them network with people outside of the school environment. 

“To have that practice before they even graduate is so crucial,” MacFarland said.

Luke's other mentor, Senior Master Sgt. Zach Nelson said Luke exemplifies the opportunities the career practicum program provides with his combination of real-world experience and mentorship. 

“We’ve been doing this for five years and we’ve had kids in and out,” he said about those who come through with the Career Practicum program. “They have gone on to do really great things.”