NDA college counselor Becky Bain has spearheaded a new Artisan Road Tours program for students interested in entrepreneurial and trade careers.

“Students’ paths after high school usually include two or four-year college, military and/or the workforce. The Artisan Tours are unique, small-group road trips designed to expand student’s minds so they can imagine possibilities beyond the norm when planning for their future,” explained Bain.

The program is suited for students who are considering attending a specialty school, learning a trade or becoming an entrepreneur. Students will connect with artisans who are local NDA alumni. Bain is hopeful that these visits will also benefit the artisans’ businesses.

“The Artisan Tours was born out of the belief that students should be exposed to a variety of vocations to spark their curiosity,” said Bain.

The road trip destinations will include small businesses in Wisconsin. While the program is still in its planning stages, some of the destinations will include Gryboski Builders, Purely Living Kombucha, Sara’s Gelato, Au Naturelle Cosmetics and Beam & Board.

“The Artisan Tours will align with one or more of the sixteen career clusters developed by the U.S. Department of Education,” said the counselor.

These road trips will only be offered to juniors and seniors “at various times throughout the school year.” However, participation is by invitation only. Bain and Ciera Gerl will select students who have “favorited” certain career clusters that correspond with the trip’s destination.

“It is important that students log into Naviance, go to the “Self-Discovery” section, and “favorite” all the career clusters that interest them. If we have too many students for a small group, we will pick names lottery-style.”

Students and families can receive more information via email, morning announcements, NDA News & Notes and social media.

Bain and Gerl conducted a trip this year on April 9 to House Copper in Fredonia, Wisconsin. Four students attended.

“We visited the only known female coppersmith in the nation, Sara Dahmen, who is also a famous author and herbalist. Students learned about the art of coppersmithing while participating in a hands-on workshop with Dahmen to cut, file, solder and create their own drinking cup using tools dating back to the 1800s. The career clusters that correspond to this road trip were Arts, Natural Resources, Business and Marketing.”

Bain got the idea for this program after watching a PBS special featuring House Copper.

“I started wondering if some of our students would be interested in unique trades like coppersmithing. I reached out to House Copper’s owner, and she was more than happy to host us and create the hands-on workshop.”