Every March since 1987, Congress and U.S. Presidents have designated March as Women’s History Month. This year, The Crude Life celebrates and honors their accomplishments and contributions in history with interviews and stories that center around women’s experiences in industry.
Watford City High School Student Ambassadors Emma, Taylor, Ellie and Lydia discuss the ambassador program on what their experiences are with industry.
Watford City has experienced historic growth over the past decade due to oil and gas activity. The four student talk about living in an oil and gas community and how their perception has changed from their childhood years.
Industry opportunity in the community is also discussed.
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Below is an unedited, raw Artificial Intelligence transcription.
Taylor
Hi, my name is Taylor Ewing from Watford City High School.
Emma
Hi, I’m Emma Mugen also from City High School.
Ellie
I’m Elly Schmitz also from Watford City High School
Lydia
and I’m Lydia mccauley also from Watford City High School.
Jason Spiess
Alright, guys. Let’s reintroduce ourselves. Taylor. You start.
Taylor
Hi, I’m Taylor Ewing originally from Idaho and I’m a senior.
Emma
Hi, I’m Emma Magen and I am a junior and I am originally from Watford City.
Ellie
Um, I’m Elly Schmitz from Watford City, North Dakota.
Lydia
Hi, I’m Lydia. I’m originally from Minnesota and I’m also a junior.
Jason Spiess
You guys are part of the student ambassador programs. Taylor will start with you, what interests you about your student ambassadorship, the programs and that sort of thing.
Taylor
Um, well, basically all that, what our main focus and our main goal is, is to maintain and to grow our population here in Watford City and to show all of the good things that come with living here. Um, we like to help get involved in all of the oil field companies and get our school involved in our ambassadors program and student council involved and, um,
just try to make all the people who are moving here from all different States, make them feel welcome and make them feel part of our North Dakota family and feel at home here. …
Emma
Um, I’m Emma and, uh, my main interest in this is, uh, like I’m an athlete and I like the idea of getting people more involved in the kids knowing that, like, we have good sports programs and other programs within the school that they can get more involved in and enjoy. So they would like to stay here more. And um I would really like to convince people to be a part of our community.
Ellie
I’m Ellie and my main interest is getting as many people to Watford City um as possible because it’s a really fun welcoming community and we just want to have more opportunities here for everyone and the more people we have, the more opportunities we can give all our students and all our community members.
Lydia
Um I’m Lydia coming from out of state. This is a different opportunity that we didn’t have in my hometown. So getting to see this come to life is really cool and getting to help all these kids coming from out of state. They might be scared like one of us was moving here and making them feel welcome and not scared to be here and getting them to want to stay because this town has a lot to
offer for their students and anyone that comes here. So getting to watch them, I guess thrive and have all these new opportunities they won’t get elsewhere. It’s really cool.
Jason Spiess
Taylor and Lydia, this is for the two of you and then Emma and Ellie, you’ll be next because the two of you grew up in Watford, right? And the two of you moved in here and those are two completely different worlds. The two out of towners. How long have you guys been here and talk to me about your integration process?
Taylor
I’m Taylor and I moved here in the middle of seventh grade and we all know as junior high kids, that’s a hard transition. And so when I came here, it was difficult for me to make friends and it wasn’t the, I guess I put, I pushed myself away because I was scared and I missed my home. But um the more I got to be around the people of North Dakota and the more that I got to um share my times and memories with them, I learned how much of like a wonderful place this was.
And um moving, I just know that coming from where I did in Idaho and moving to North Dakota and being put in the positions that I’ve been put in and learning and growing from where I am, I definitely wouldn’t be in the same place um here in North Dakota that I would be in Idaho.
Lydia
Um So yeah, I moved here in fifth grade at the beginning of the year and I kind of the same problem. I didn’t make friends very well. I kind of pushed myself away. I just wanted to move home and be close to my family again. But growing up here it got me to see all the opportunities this town has to offer and everything that we’re getting started. Now as we’ve all gotten older is really cool. The watch and creating.
I definitely would not have the same opportunities I have here that I would back in Minnesota. So that’s really cool to see and getting to be a part of these on the other side rather than being the kid coming in and getting to help them and just kind of telling them like, yeah, this might kind of suck when you first get here, but if you let it help you, it will and it’ll open a lot of doors for you in your future.
Jason Spiess
Thank you, Lydia M A L E and hearing the same thing that they had, which was, you know, making friends and those are some pretty common things, but you guys are in leadership positions as well. So after talking about growing up transition into kind of that leadership role because making new kids feel welcome as part of that leadership role. Go ahead, Ellie will start with
Ellie
you. Um I think that it’s been so cool watching our little town grow. We have so many more stores and community opportunities around. So um as our schools grown. Um So is our student council program. So there’s more opportunities for people to be in the leadership position. And I think that’s really cool too watch um, new students who haven’t been here that long, joined student Council or join the basketball team or any sort of club we have at Watford City.
I think it’s really cool to watch them, take those opportunities and to start opening up and finding out that Watford City is a really good place to be in a really fun community to be in.
Emma
Um I’m Emma and um living here all my life basically, um I’ve watched like my sisters growing up and stuff like that and it’s been so like small and like everyone supported each other and as we’ve like grown, um and like the town has grown, we’ve gotten more and more people with the oil boom and this has just created a bigger opportunity for us to reach more people and create this kind of program and like, give more people opportunities to be in different clubs because
like before we didn’t have enough like interests for different things and now we do because of the people and it’s really exciting to watch Watford City grow the way it has
Jason Spiess
about Lydia Taylor, the two of you out of state, you mentioned you had some reservations and some fears about integrating in and now you guys are in leadership roles. Um Talk about how you ended up doing that and why this program, I guess attracted you to it.
Taylor
Um I’m Taylor. Uh So I think just as every family and every kid who does move to a new town, um they always have those fears, they always have those struggles in those just basic nerves. Um And so I think that’s what I was feeling was just those, what everybody feels, just scared, nervous, new things. Um just something I wasn’t used to. But once I finally um put myself out there and kind of found out who I was and wanted to take control of helping the school grow and helping the community
grow and helping other kids transition here better than being scared and help them feel better about moving here. Um This program, our, this program was opened up and immediately I think our entire student council was very interested in it. But um being a part, being a leader in the school has um really helped me grow from who I like came to North Dakota being and like I’ve grown to be this leader because I have put myself out there and I’ve reached out for different opportunities
and seen all of the good in North Dakota. And I’ve um use the school and everything that like all of the resources that it gives us and our community. Um Most people who come from big towns don’t have opportunities to serve on councils or committees. And um for me personally, I serve with the county census and the county coalition.
And I know that I wouldn’t have been able to serve on that if I came from a bigger town. And, um, I just want to help people see all of the different opportunities that they have here.
Lydia
I’m Lydia. Kind of the same deal for me. I put myself out there. I, my parents kind of pushed me to find something you want to do and like go do it, we’ll support you. Um It was kind of a hard time the first couple years finding something I like to do, but as I got older and more opportunities came up and they had, I had interest in all of them. So I kind of just took opportunity of that and kind of threw myself right in there.
So this program definitely like, showed me who I can be and helped me build my leadership position in this town in the community. Um I don’t currently serve on any city boards, but it’s, I’ve seen my sister and the people at this school serve on them and it’s a great opportunity and it helps them build their future and open new doors for them getting to help like that.
So I guess just being in a leadership position now really opened my eyes to see like there’s so much to offer and there’s so much these kids can do to build their potential for the future. And even now just build opportunities that will help them
Jason Spiess
about when it comes to like leadership roles with the workforce out there. Um Is anybody finding a pretty, you mentioned city leadership role? I don’t even know that exists, by the way, is anybody in that city leadership role? She’s talking about? What is that?
Taylor
Um Just how I’m I’m Taylor and just how I’m in the county coalition in the county census. I’m just a student representative. Yeah. So that’s a super cool opportunity that our kids can take ahold of and get initiative and get involved in the community. And maybe that being in those have helped kids to see what they want to do in their future and to see how a city runs and how um there’s lots of people who help make our city great.
Jason Spiess
How about the workforce side of things? That’s kind of introducing you guys to some new skills, that sort of thing. Talk to me, but especially the two that grew up here. Um You’ve watched this girl right before your eyes, literally. Um talk to me about that. I mentioned opportunities before. Um I know it’s when you’re young, it’s hard to understand what opportunities are.
But I drove into town and saw jail beers and I thought, wow, there’s opportunity for somebody to work there that probably never existed five years ago with more options like that that are out there. But you guys are learning more of the skills. So, um go with that and however you’d like to run with it when it comes to what you guys are learning in the workforce area.
Ellie
I’m Ellie and I know that there’s been a huge um growth for job options and opportunities. We have several more restaurants in town. We have lots of larger grocery stores, we have more banks, basically anything thing that you can think of. We now have the opportunity to do in Watford City. I know the oil field has been a big part of our growth and with that brought so many jobs and so many different opportunities for families to come and move up here. Um, with me personally, um, I’ve
worked at Wolf Pup Daycare and that was, um, something that I thought was really fun because I got to see all the different jobs from the parents that came to pick up their kids. You could just see what kind of job that they worked in based on what they wore to pick up their kids. And I just thought that that was so, um, interesting to just see all the different jobs that are out there that I didn’t even know existed with the growing um population.
Jason Spiess
You know, we did a story a few years ago on the clothing of the oil patch and in Wall Street, if you wear an Armani suit, that’s like top of the line right in the back. And if you wear fr clothing, that’s the Armani suit. Just fire resistant clothing. So, sorry. Go
Emma
ahead. I’m Emma. I, I’ve lived here my whole life and I have seen it go from a very small town with not much to do, um, to where it is now with like, so many opportunities coming in for jobs. I’ve never had a job personally because I’m busy with my sports and stuff. But, um, my siblings have had many opportunities for different jobs, Um along with lots of people that I’ve
talked to coming in, like my friends are getting jobs and um there’s great, great opportunities for them as people to figure out what they want to do at a young age. And yeah,
Ellie
um I’m Ellie, another thing that I think comes with being in the oil field, all of our jobs are a very high paying. So it’s good for students to be able to work. You don’t have to work that many hours to um make a lot of money for college or anything that you’re going to be doing in your future.
Jason Spiess
How about the API event? You guys went there? It was kind of a big crowd there and some bright lights if you will. How was the experience there, Lydia you want to start?
Lydia
Um It was definitely a new experience for all of us. I’ve never been to anything like that. My family isn’t like directly like their works aren’t related to the oil fields. So getting to see that and all those people come together to celebrate each other and all their accomplishments for the year was really cool. …
Ellie
Um, I’m Ellie and I think the banquet was, um, a very eye opening experience just to see, um, all the people come together who work in the oil field and just really support one another and you realize that, um, everyone in the oil field isn’t just working to make money for themselves. They also want to help everyone around them. And I thought that was really cool to see,
Emma
I’m Emma and I really enjoyed the experience that I had. Um, it was nice to watch people be grateful for, um, others that had been around throughout the start of the boom to like where it is now and recognizing each other for each accomplishment they have made and just coming together and it was fun. …
Jason Spiess
How about what’s next for some of you or any of you planning jobs in the oil field or going to, uh, school for anything involving with the oil field? Or is there a skill that you’re particularly interested in that maybe, uh, Patrick needs to get involved here that, you know, chef or something like that? You know, thinking outside the box a little bit doesn’t have to be all oilfield related because, …
Taylor
um, so a good, uh, program that we have with our school that’s through our, again, business department is the C W A program for career work experience. Um, the high school seniors have the opportunity to spend a couple hours of their day, uh, working in one of the companies in our town. Um, and that can go from like the daycare or you can, uh, shadow a welder or I am like a receptionist at our electric company and, um, or we have kids who go and they work at the hospital and there’s just so
many different opportunities that come with that and you get to get involved with all of the different um businesses around and all of the different work experiences. So it’s a good transition to for the high school kids to kind of see what real life is like, what real work life is like. And to see what the oil field has to offer because there are a lot of our kids in the program who do work oilfield jobs and who do see themselves going right into the workforce and not into college.
And so this is a good opportunity for them to set a base and for them to um get involved already. And I know that some of the jobs that are through the CW program are starting to mentor and to have kids shadow like there’s one who’s shadowing a welder and learning the trade. And so that’s um you could be learning lots of different skills while you’re in this kind of job.
Jason Spiess
How about anybody else? Some of the leadership roles? What do you guys want to see happen with this. I mean, it’s, it sounds like it’s kind of a new program that you guys are gonna have some input on. You guys can mold it. And I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I’m kinda, I’m thinking so anything new in the beginning, the people in the beginning have
got their input that can help shape it. So, is there anything that you guys are liking about this? Anything that you want to see, maybe go a different direction, etcetera.
Ellie
I’m Ellie and I’m really liking how involved the community is with our school were starting to get more attendance at basketball games and um sporting events and I think that’s really important for the community to come support our students and help them know that um they are doing good and their leadership positions are helping others. Um I’m really hoping to see um this ambassador program grow more so that the new students don’t even have to like be afraid they’re like, oh yeah,
I hear about Watford City. I wa want to move there. I think it’s super cool. So I’d really like to see um more uh I guess interest in the ambassador program from people who already live here. That way we can start bringing everyone’s families up here so families don’t have to be living in different places. …
Lydia
I’m Lydia watching this ambassador program from the start to what it’s at now has changed a ton. We work very closely with Pat’s Company M B I. And we go and we talked to one of their crews and their work over crew just about like the free tuition. The college, the next town over has and everything the school has to offer. And they were all really excited to have us keep coming back and keep asking them to find ways to get involved.
So they get to help out with the school. And I’m excited to see where this goes because we have a couple more companies lined up to go talk to and I’m excited to see who else has an interest in having us come speak and trying to get involved with the school.
Emma
This is Emma and I think this ambassadors program has really opened um workers Eyes uh here in Watford, like realizing that bringing their kids and their families is an option and it wouldn’t be the worst situations like situation to move up here, even though it’s really a hard um switch for some people from moving from Florida who never have
snow and then come here and it’s snow almost all the time. So I, I think it’s really helped people um keep moving here as an option and so they can have their families with them. …
Taylor
Um Taylor here. I just think that um for this ambassadors program being one of the start of it, I think is super important and it’s special for us kids to be able to um started just here in the high school. But I know that there’s lots of different opportunities for it to grow into um different towns. And I think that’s what I would like to see most is that other towns in this area.
And um even in other states who are facing the same issue that they can start up this program and they can learn from us and how the success that we’re getting from it. Um Also, I just think that it’s not just us kids at the high school who is making it happen, it’s everybody else who gets involved. It’s everybody who supports the high schools, everybody who supports um going to the games, going to our musical concerts, going to um just support everything that we do.
And there’s the only thing that’s gonna make it work is the relationships and so the relationships that the school can make with companies can really help develop families when they move to North Dakota.
Jason Spiess
Any final thoughts, anything we left out, anything you want to reiterate or anything that you think people should.
Ellie
I’m Ellie, another thing um we have in Watford City is we really have a need for childcare and just because of all the families that are moving up here with young kids who aren’t in school yet. Um Wolf Pup daycare has a long waiting list and Just because there isn’t that many options to take your Children to in Watford City.
So we have a $5,000 grant. Um, if you would want to start an at home daycare. So that’s something that wouldn’t be that hard to do. And it would really help, um, with the child care problem that we have
Jason Spiess
is that the place you worked at? You say you worked? Right. Yeah. Wow. Look at you. You are being a student leader. Anybody else have any final thoughts or any thing?
Lydia
Um, going back on the Williston state that I mentioned earlier, that is the college that’s about 45 minutes away from Watford City. They offer a regional scholarship to surrounding counties. They pay for your tuition. Um, you get to four semesters paid for all your credits. They have to be consecutive semesters. So fall in spring and then fall in spring in the next year, but they cover all your fees and tuition and you can apply scholarships on top of that.
So it’s not just that. So if you need, if you get a scholarship for housing, you can pay for it on top of your free tuition and they are opening lots of new programs, they just revamped their agriculture program and they’re starting a new campus actually here in Watford City next year for their nursing program. And that’s really just a good opportunity for the students in the surrounding counties that maybe don’t know what they wanna do and don’t want to pay all that money for
college. They can go. A lot of people go and get their two years done for their generals and then they transfer when they have a better idea or they just have two year degrees for like welding diesel mechanics. So that really opens up a lot of opportunities for students around here to, just to get a good idea of what they want before they go and spend all that money in college somewhere.vironmentally minded and socially conscious businesses that are using industrial innovations to build a network of sustainable forests across the United States.
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