Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Rollins teaches real-world tips
WINTER PARK — In her 17 years at Rollins College, there often have been upperclassmen who appear in Anca Voicu’s office and confess they have no idea what to do with their lives once they graduate.
With that on her mind, the associate economics professor decided to intervene earlier in career planning, even starting before young people step onto a college campus.
Throughout this semester, Voicu’s real-world economics class has visited about 100 Winter Park High students to encourage them to think about everything from picking the right major to the labor market and the cost — as well as importance — of higher education.
“They have to balance what they need to do and what they love to do,” said Rollins freshman Nicholas Kay, 18, a biology freshman from Ocala.
During their final class of the semester last week, Kay and his classmates reflected on what it was like helping younger versions of themselves navigate the future. Voicu expects to continue the class in fall 2017 and future years so she can collect data to see if the collaboration is making a difference.
“These kids were only eight months younger than me,” said Rollins freshman Blake Buell, an 18-year-old business management major from Dallas.
The students also went on a tour of the Winter Park college, seeing what life was like on campus, how admissions worked and what a dorm room looked like.
Winter Park sophomore Sebastian Zendejas, 15, said the sessions were eyeopening to understanding how expensive college could be.
“I don’t want to have a bunch of debt when I’m leaving college,” said Sebastian, who plans to study business.
But not all the Winter Park High students were as focused. At first, one boy saw himself as a professional football player — and nothing else. Two teens who started Voicu’s project have dropped out of school.
Voicu hoped her students could connect with the high schoolersand also feel like they were making a difference. The lessons that showed students’ potential earnings and job availability were something many never thought about before, said Tim Arnold, one of the four Winter Park High teachers involved in the collaboration.