While 9th – 11th graders were taking the PSATs, seniors of John Marshall High School had the opportunity to have a head start in planning for their future. During the two hour advisory on October 23rd, four workshops were available. FAFSA/ Financial AID was located in the auditorium, Job Resumes at the teacher’s lounge, Career choices in the library, and a seminar, where college graduates talk about their experience on transitioning from high school to college, located in the OER across the library.  

In the OER, three college graduates volunteered to come to our school and talk about their experiences on transitioning from high school to college. They shared their own personal experiences and feelings into transitioning from high school to college. 

A show writer, engineer, lawyer, and a nurse were stationed in the library, giving a more in depth explanation toward their careers. In the auditorium, a college representative gave out flyers that contained resources on financial aid students can refer to. They mention the Educational Opportunity Program and how it can benefit first generation college students.

Located in the teacher’s lounge, behind the cafeteria, students participated in a job interview simulation. They were given handouts that gave them tips on what to do during interviews; proper mannerisms, preparation before the interview, and how to appear.

Though these workshops were helpful to some students, there was some confusion in attending them. Everyone believed the workshops to be open for the duration of advisory, not knowing there were sessions for each station. Some students were able to visit at least two workshops, while others stayed in one workshop the entire time the visitors were on campus. Not only did this give a disadvantage for seniors, it was a little troubling for the presenters. There were some delays because of the random surge of students when advisory started. Some students were able to go to some workshops before advisory started, while others had to wait a bit later into the period. This caused some students, who are planning to go into a career in law, to miss the lawyer, who left early for work. 

Even with the scheduling problems, seniors had fun with this event. Some visitors stayed after the sessions to answer questions to students who weren’t able to ask them during the workshops. We hope to see more opportunities like this in the future.