It was a trip to a local community college during her junior year of high school that sparked Kassy Giroir’s drive to pursue a career in the chemical industry.
“That’s when I met a female—she used to be an operator,” Giroir, donned in her embroidered ruby red Shell jumpsuit, tells those watching the video of her story. It was that day, she recalls, when she decided to become a process operator.
Later in the video, under the cooling shade of an oak in Norco, she throws a cobalt Frisbee with two young boys in front of a new house.
“I recently built a home,” she shares at the video’s end. “I couldn’t have done that without this job.”
The 30-second commercial is one of five produced by the industry-sponsored initiative called Louisiana Calling. It was founded in 2013 by a group of Capital Region industry leaders who were concerned about the growing lack of skilled workers in Louisiana. Since then, the initiative—backed by donations from industry wallets—has embarked on a multi-year campaign using social media, concerts and videos to both spotlight the state’s high-demand jobs and the educational pathways available to get them as well as pique interest among students.
Girioir’s story, along with the other videos produced for the River Parishes region, embodies Louisiana Calling’s raison d’état: You don’t need a four-year diploma to get a well-paying job.
