MERIDEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Educators Rising is a program recently rolled out in school districts across the state. It encourages students to become teachers. In this week’s What’s Right With Schools, we take a look at how Platt High School in Meriden is implementing this program to help students take those first steps toward a career in education.

At high schools across the country, many students are focused on next steps to college. But at Platt High School they are taking it a step further and getting students to start thinking about their careers. Specifically, a career in education.

Pam Guest is a math teacher at Platt. This year she took over as advisor for the Educators Rising program.

“Educators Rising has so much support for you in that regard,” she said. “I recognize in our school we don’t have a staff that really represents our student body. I recognize in our school we don’t have a staff that really represents our student body.”

Platt’s Principal Dan Corsetti added, “So there’s always been this culture of kids sitting in a classrooms and seeing great teachers and then wanting to be teachers themselves. And I see this [program] as a vehicle for that.”

It’s a new partnership for the Meriden School District and nine others around the state.

“It’s really about making sure our professional work force reflects the diversity in our classrooms,” said State Education Commissioner Miguel Cordona.

It’s an initiative that is helping students like Dominique.

She tells News 8, “Well both of my older sisters are high school teachers and I’ve been wanting to do teaching since I was really young.”

This program allows students to achieve mini certifications, participate in competitions, and to attend conferences.

“I wish I had these opportunities as a student because they will be so much further along when they enter college,” said Guest. “This program uniquely allows us to help them on that journey early and then to maintain those connections with them while they’re in college. Continuing to support them and be here for them so they feel that sense of belonging to their school, and hopefully, and selfishly, they want to come back and be apart of our staff. I would love nothing more than to be fellow colleagues with a student like Dominique.”