L-K workshop helps students chart their futures
Linden adults joined students with full participation Saturday in a college and career readiness workshop that explored in detail how to prepare for life beyond high school.
L-K High School students sat side-by-side with School Board President Lane Roberts, School Board member Tanya Bond, High School Principal Shekita Martin, law enforcement officer Karl Valentine and other staff members to participate in a college and career readiness workshop.
The effort was Phase Two of a community and law enforcement program voted and funded by the Linden City Council to build trust and positive change through partnerships and community service.
The HOPE Initiative and its Beyond Change program, led by L-K alumnus Dr. Robert Harper, prescribes community engagement activities for youth and law enforcement through a series of phased workshops. Education and college preparedness is one of those success indicators.
The college and career readiness of Saturday’s workshop took the students and adults through three procedures.
The first step was a self-assessment of non-cognitive strengths that put individuals in small groups for discussion of how that strength could impact, home, school and community.
Then, the group went to the computers for a program that showed how those strengths were connected to a career pathway.
“The average college student changes their major three times,” Dr. Harper said. “But having taken this assessment, your career choices will be more aligned with your interests and help you identify a major.”
For the next step, the room became very quiet as the individuals entered upon a personality assessment which would reveal whether they were an introvert or extrovert and several additional personal traits that conveyed self-knowledge and awareness.
“The average college student changes their major three times. But having taken this assessment, your (students’) career choices will be more aligned with your interests and help you identify a major.”
— Dr. Robert Harper
The following two examples indicate the level of learning being gained by the group.
The first module took the group through a personality assessment and an analysis of strengths and weaknesses in order to help them gain important insights into their educational, career and relationship needs.
“You’ll be asked about your strengths and weakness as a learner and a working professional,’ Dr. Harper said. “This goal is, first, to be able to articulate your strengths and how you use them to be productive. But then, when addressing your weaknesses, you can utilize this information to discuss how you transformed your weaknesses into a strength.
“From this day, when that moment comes for you, you will be able to say, ‘Hey, I remember that workshop with Dr. Harper where I learned about my strengths and weaknesses. I have all the information I need to respond effectively.”
A second module discussed learning styles, and Principal Shekita Martin shared her finding that described the kind of environment in which she preferred to work and learn.
“My results revealed that I prefer late in the day as the time I do my best learning,” she told the students. “Around 10 in the morning, after I had my coffee, is when I’m ready to be productive. Often times I work past 8 or 9 o’clock and it doesn’t bother me because I prefer getting things done later in the day.”
At the end of the 2.5 hour workshop, each participant was asked for their evaluation. L-K CISD Board President Lane Roberts said “This shows we have great kids and great community leadership and when you get those together it makes for greatness. I just want you to know the community supports you, and we appreciate Dr. Harper, this program and those of you who are participating.”
Still to come in the next phases of the Beyond Change program will be a workshop to include police officer participation. It will focus on community and police relationships involving several levels of law enforcement and the community.