North Tama junior Isabella “Isa” Allen, center, pictured at Iowa’s State Career Development Conference Thursday, March 26, in Des Moines. Also pictured (from left), iJAG board member Sarah Richardson, iJAG CEO and President Dr. Wendy Mihm-Herold, [Allen], Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, and iJAG Vice President Allyson Vukovich. PHOTO COURTESY OF NORTH TAMA–iJAG/FACEBOOK

DES MOINES – More than 400 high school students from across Iowa along with nearly 40 employers participated in the annual State Career Development Conference (CDC) held in Des Moines Thursday, March 26, including North Tama iJAG (Iowa’s Jobs for America’s Graduates) students Isabella “Isa” Allen and Josh Lasley who both earned first-place finishes in student competitions, advancing to the JAG National Career Development Conference (NCDC) set for April 30-May 2 in Salt Lake City.

Allen, a junior, and Lasley, a senior, both earned an all-expenses-paid trip to the national competition with Allen placing first in Employability Skills and Lasley accomplishing the same in Career Preparation.

At NCDC, they will compete in their respective categories while also networking with national employers, attending skill-development workshops, and participating in leadership activities

Per iJAG, only about 300 of JAG’s 65,000 students attend NCDC annually.

In addition to Allen and Lasley, North Tama junior Brayton Cibula also attended CDC this year.

North Tama senior Josh Lasley, center, pictured at Iowa’s State Career Development Conference Thursday, March 26, in Des Moines. Also pictured, (from left), iJAG board member Sarah Richardson, iJAG CEO and President Dr. Wendy Mihm-Herold, [Lasley], Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, and iJAG Vice President Allyson Vukovich. PHOTO COURTESY OF NORTH TAMA–iJAG/FACEBOOK

The 2026 CDC was presented by The Wellmark Foundation and hosted by iJAG at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. The conference included employer-led workshops, networking opportunities, a career fair, and competitions for students grades 11-12 from 67 different iJAG programs.

North Tama’s iJAG program is led by Facilitator Carlee Warnke.

About iJAG

iJAG is a statewide nonprofit 501c3 organization that partners with Iowa schools to deliver in-school career development programming including leadership development, skill-building, employer engagement, and work-based learning.