College & Career Readiness: Planning for the Future

College and career events are an excellent opportunity for students to gain valuable insights about their future prospects. These events offer a platform for students to explore various career options and learn about different colleges and universities. Students can interact with professionals and gain insight into the requirements and qualifications needed for different careers. They can also learn about various industries, their job prospects, and future growth opportunities.

See what our Leona Group schools are doing to provide college and career opportunities for our students as they explore post-high school graduation options.

Academy for Business and Technology Middle/High School (ABTM/H)

Carmen Willingham, school leader, recognizes the importance of college and career readiness for students and hosted a college fair for her students as well as the students from Detroit Public Safety Academy. They had the opportunity to meet with college and professional representatives from the following organizations; Adrian College, Alabama State University, Douglas J. Aveda Institute, Eastern Michigan University, Focus Hope, Henry Ford Community College, Lane College, Latitude Training Center, Lawrence Tech, Madonna University, Morehouse College, Oakland University, Pipefitters 636, Saginaw Valley State University, The Urban League of Detroit, United Parcel Service, Wayne State University, Western Michigan University.

"It is imperative that college & career fairs are provided to give students the opportunity to speak with representatives from colleges and universities and hear first hand what is available to them. Oftentimes, students feel as though college is unattainable but after speaking with representatives and receiving information they find out that attending college is achievable if they work hard. It is also important to offer a plethora of career ideas to students who may not have a desire to attend college. After the college and career fair ended, several students were excited to inform me that they are now interested in applying to colleges, universities and they were enlightened about different career options and paths they could take to be successful in the workplace," said Carmen Willingham, school leader ABTM/H.

George Crockett Acadmey (GCA)

George Crockett Academy is promoting colleges throughout our school. Each class has adopted a college with the university’s logo posted outside of the classroom. Our goal is to have 5th through 8th grade students visit a campus. So far, our 7th graders completed a tour of University of Detroit Mercy in November and our 8th graders are visiting Oakland University in the spring.

Cesar Chavez Academy Middle School Academy (CCAM)

Getting ready for college and a career is important for students because it gives them a roadmap to overcome tough challenges and build successful lives. By focusing on college and career readiness, we are providing students with the real-world skills they need to handle higher education. “This kind of prep work is like a key that can help break the cycle of poverty, giving students a shot at moving up in the world and making a positive impact on their communities. It's all about leveling the playing field and helping them dream big and achieve those dreams,” said Christy Thomas, instructional coach at CCAM. 

CCAM uses the month of April to focus heavily on colleges and careers. We start with a slideshow shown in our advisory class to highlight colleges both big and small. We include a slide at the end highlighting where our staff received degrees. We do lunchtime raffles where we give away college-themed items from pencils to pennants, blankets, and stuffed bears, lanyards, keychains, backpacks and more. We use Xello which allows students to explore their self-interests, explore options for career and college placements and even create a plan. As a culminating activity, we have a career day for our 8th-grade students which includes engineers, healthcare workers, Detroit Fire Department, city council members, a representative from the Army and a few others. Our 6th graders will tour The Ford Rouge Plant and our 7th grade will have the opportunity to visit Michigan State University. Finally, our 8th graders will tour the University of Michigan’s campus.

Smith Academy for Excellence (SAFE)

SAFE understands the importance of college visits and the motivating impact that physically being on a college campus can have for students. Their students are able to visit a wide range of campuses throughout their time at SAFE to decide if college is the right path for them. Throughout the months of October and November, students had the opportunity to tour Ivy Tech to learn about their business program and participated in their skilled trades fair, Manchester University where they learned about program offerings, campus life, and how to financially plan for college, and Huntington University which highlighted the various pathways that you can take after high school.

Pontiac Academy for Excellence (PAE)

In November PAE students had the opportunity to participate in Digital Divas and Dudes at Eastern Michigan University, a program that encourages students to explore post-secondary education and careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). The program exposed them to a college campus and classrooms where they participated in hands-on activities with technology, explored many majors that lead to STEM careers and were encouraged to have safe and ethical behaviors in digital spaces.