On Jan. 25 after school, students gathered at the Belmont Library to attend a seminar about life. The goal of the seminar series is to show students some choices of education or career path after high school.
“This event is part of a series called Life Hacks. The idea of this came from one of the teens here. They said they weren’t sure what they would do after high school. I took that very seriously so I started this program,” said Kayla Figard, a teen service librarian at the Belmont Library.
There were different speakers from community colleges like Cañada College, Skyline College, and College of San Mateo. Along with the colleges, there were also representatives from other organizations, like the San Mateo Credit Union, that could help students with college.
“Community college is a great way to find out what you want to do in life. There is also a lot of support and diversity that comes with a community college,” said Cañada college student representative Aidan Stevens.
At the beginning of the event, speakers from their respective organizations introduced themselves and told the story of their choices and how they came to where they are now.
“Something nobody told me [in high school] is what happens next, after high school, that is,” said Iliana Garcia, a representative from the San Mateo credit union.
After the speakers had told their story, they went back to their tables to talk individually with students.
“Don’t be afraid to ask for help from other people. If you don’t understand something, trust someone else to help you,” said Garcia.
Cindy James, a representative from the College of San Mateo, gave advice to students who need help with deciding what to do after high school, specifically students who can’t choose a major.
“Go and get your general education credits first. Once you get to college you will have a lot of opportunities to find out what you are interested in. I know people who have changed their majors two or three times and there’s nothing wrong with that,” said James.
Another goal of the seminar was for students to learn more about the field of work they were interested in.
“If you want to go into the medical field, you may think the only two jobs are a doctor and a nurse. But no, there are thousands of other jobs available besides just those two,” said Mayra Arellano, a recruiter from Cañada College.
The seminar lasted from 3:30 until 5:00, and the Life Hacks series is a monthly event. The next one will be held on Feb. 15, 2018. At the end, the college representatives give out business cards and pamphlets to interested students, hoping that students will be more informed of their choices besides going to a four-year college.
