Pathways to College 2021 was a success! On Saturday afternoon, February 27, volunteers from NSBE DFW, SHPE DFW and Dallas SWE gathered virtually to provide guidance to high school seniors looking for advice about college life. Awarding over $5000 in scholarships to student attendees, P2C21 would like to thank our sponsors: Platinum Sponsor – Verizon, Gold Sponsor – HMS, Silver Sponsor – ATT, and Bronze Sponsors – Children’s Health.
The event kicked off with breakout rooms so students and volunteers could connect directly and practice networking skills. Moving into the first discussion panel, Blake Odom, Founder and Executive Director of The Motivational Foundation, moderated a panel discussion with NSBE collegiates Tamara Havis and Evony Thomas. Tamara and Evony provided insightful and helpful feedback to the students’ very engaged questions.
The second panel discussion on Joining a STEM Organization was moderated by Stan Page of NSBE with panelists Krystal Folks of NSBE, Salena Torres of SHPE, and Katia Gomez of SWE. Each discussed their college involvement with their respective organizations and how the experiences also helped them into their professional careers. Next up, Ayisat Abilogun spoke on financial success and budgeting, an important topic and common concern for many college students!
The final session on the Value of Mentorship was led by Grace Fejokwu, Cybersecurity Analyst and NSBE member. Providing a quick introduction to mentoring, student attendees were once again placed into breakout rooms with professional volunteers to discuss the importance of mentoring and their personal experiences with it. After joining back to the main room, Grace led an engaging and interactive activity with the students to help spark ideas on how to approach possible mentors and establish a connection. Throughout the day, raffle prizes from McAfee were awarded to the students who were actively participating, and the event wrapped up with the announcement of 4 scholarships!
Overall it was a very successful event that provided great information and encourage to a group of high school seniors ready to take their next steps towards college. Thank you to all of our speakers and professional volunteers for providing your time to the student attendees and investing in their future!
