Oklahoma Students Inspired By Port Of Catoosa Tour

Folks at the Port of Catoosa say they are tired of being Tulsa's best-kept secret.

A large group of high school students toured the port Wednesday to learn about careers available there.

The port's annual "Who Works the River?" career event educates students about the Port of Catoosa. 

"Just in Oklahoma we have 8,700 direct jobs and that doesn't include the thousand semi-trucks a day we see coming in and out of our port," said Sheila Shook. 

Her point, of course, is that the port is huge with a lot of opportunities, and many students like Jacob Mallery are listening.

"You don't have to stay to the beaten path, you can, you can ... make your own path, and that's really inspiring to me," said Mallery. 

The students got to crawl all over the Charley Borden, a retired towboat the port now uses in its educational program. And as you might expect, some students like Jacob were really into it.
    
The idea is giving them a chance to look around.

“We're trying to help students understand there are great careers on the river," Shook said. 

Surveys tell them that if students will come take a look, many will want to stay.

They saved the coolest for last, a tour of the port from the water.