A high school student can have a number of possibilities once they graduate. They can pursue a college degree, enter the workforce, join the military, and those are just some of the options. If they know what career they want to be in, they can get a head start on things by a career tech center like Gordon Cooper Technology Center. Mikah Teape is one of those students.

“I am in the Advanced Health Careers Class at Gordon Cooper,” she said. “I took the regular Health Career Class last year, and I loved it so much. I wanted to continue by going to the advanced class.”

Teape is a senior at Shawnee High School. Once she completes high school, Mikah plans to attend Oklahoma State University or the University of Oklahoma and earn her Bachelors in Pre-Med Biology. Then she hopes to get accepted into OSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine program and obtain her D.O. license.

She is excited about her future and says that she is thankful for her time at Gordon Cooper and that she would recommend it to anyone that is considering it.

“I would say go for it,” she said. “It is such an amazing opportunity for people who know or even don’t know what career they are thinking about pursuing. It teaches you how to work in the world after high school and how to work with other people professionally. Tech prepares students for jobs outside high school, but it also prepares you for working with others and being a good leader.”

As a student at Shawnee, Mikah is a member of the volleyball and swim teams. She is also involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the National Honor Society, and the National Technical Honor Society.

As she looks back on her high school career, Teape has made a lot of great memories over the years, but she has one moment that stands out as her favorite.

“The highlight of my career would have to be winning state in swimming,” she said.