The first and only year in the Seymour High School Jobs for America’s Graduates program has been outstanding for Carina Muñoz.

At the Career Development Conference on Jan. 25 at Ivy Tech Community College in Lawrenceburg, she was one of seven from the region competing for the outstanding senior honor. She wound up placing first and receiving a medal and $250.

At the 11th annual state conference March 15 at the Ivy Tech Community College Culinary and Conference Center in Indianapolis, Muñoz was among 12 students vying for the outstanding senior award. She again placed first but this time received a certificate, a medallion and a $3,000 scholarship.

“I wasn’t nervous at all. I was just happy to be there,” Muñoz said. “I had already decided it was going to be a great experience whether I get first or last. I gave it my all, and that’s all I could’ve done.”

Nearly 200 high school students from across the state competed in 10 different categories at the state conference.

The event was the culmination of months of regional competitions that focused on several disciplines critical to future employment. The top students in each category from the regional competitions advanced to the state competition for a chance to earn monetary awards by showcasing the employability skills they have learned through JAG.

The state-based national not-for-profit organization assists high school students by helping them overcome academic challenges and earn their diploma. JAG Indiana is administered by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.

The categories in which JAG students competed challenged their critical thinking skills, entrepreneurial savvy, public speaking and writing comprehension.

For the outstanding senior award, Muñoz had to submit a résumé, an application, three letters of recommendation, a two-page single-spaced typed essay and proof of college acceptance.

In the essay, Muñoz had to list three reasons why she is involved in JAG, how she will use JAG in the future, struggles she has gone through in life and her future plans. She shared how the class has given her more confidence and led to her becoming secretary of the bilingual JAG program.

She also wrote about a lesson that JAG specialist Belitzabeth Vazquez taught that has stuck with her.

“I chose the box of crayons,” Muñoz said. “It’s where we’re all different colors, but when we work together, we can create a bigger picture.”

At the conferences, Muñoz and the other seniors were interviewed by the judges one at a time. She was the ninth senior to be interviewed.

“While I waited my turn, I got the opportunity to speak with the other outstanding seniors at my table,” she said. “We all had a great time getting to know each other and joking around. In my opinion, they were all outstanding.”

When it came time for her interview, Muñoz said she walked in with confidence and a smile.

“During the interview, I was just being honest and answering the best to my ability,” she said. “I guess that my preparation gave me a better understanding of myself, my goals and passions.”

Once the interviews were completed, the students had lunch and listened to the keynote speaker, former Indianapolis Colts player and Super Bowl champion Marlin Jackson.

Then the awards ceremony began, and outstanding senior was the final award. Honorable mentions were announced, followed by third place (Elaina Lenington of Jay County High School) and second place (Caleb Duke of Sheridan High School), and then Muñoz was announced as the winner.

“As the names narrowed down, I kept thinking, ‘What if I won?’” she said. “When they did name me as the winner, I was super-excited, and the other seniors I had been sitting with congratulated me and gave me hugs. The experience of state was fantastic, and I loved meeting the other seniors. We briefly talked of us all being outstanding seniors no matter what.”

Vazquez said she is proud of Muñoz’s accomplishment.

“I was very confident of her performance, as we had worked very hard on different skills and Carina is a young lady that likes to follow instructions and always goes by the book,” Vazquez said. “She is very honest and authentic with her answers. She has a very strong relationship with God, and I believe that was one of the main reasons for her to win.”

Seymour senior Dayana Ceballos also competed at state after placing first and winning $100 in the creative solutions competition at the district level. She did not place at state.

This is only the third year of the bilingual JAG program at Seymour High School, and it is the only one of its kind among the 139 JAG programs in the state. JAG Indiana is the largest affiliate in the national network.

Vazquez said she had a student win at district and qualify for state in the first year, but no one else had qualified until this year.

“My accomplishments in JAG make me feel extremely proud for challenging myself because I never would’ve expected myself to do so in the past,” Muñoz said.

“Being involved in JAG will help me as I move forward because it has allowed me to practice leadership skills, communication skills and teamwork skills,” she said. “It has also helped me financially to pay for some of my college expenses and a mission trip I plan on taking this summer.”

After high school, Muñoz plans to attend Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus to study elementary education and work toward a master’s degree in counseling. She also will minor in Spanish.

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For information about the Indiana Jobs for America’s Graduates program, visit jagindiana.org.

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