Colorado Career Readiness
By CSCA | February 2018
Our members share perspectives on career readiness with middle school students, to support undocumented students, and for school counseling graduate students.
Career awareness: is it ever too early to start talking to students about their future? My middle school students ask, “Why do we have to learn about resumes, job applications? We aren’t even old enough to get a job.”
Each year we add to our ICAP (Individual Career Academic Plan) portfolios. Staring in fifth grade, students create a portfolio to hold artifacts of what they learn about colleges, careers and financial literacy. We believe that middle school students should begin to learn the basic vocabulary of career readiness, along with postsecondary options. When our students get to high school, they will have the background knowledge and be ready to apply themselves in the job market.
Our eighth-grade students create resumes, practice completing job applications and ask for a letter of recommendation, among other career-related projects. They learn about professional dress and shaking hands, and take an exit interview with a panel.
Read details about these programs and the outcomes in the complete article.
We school counselors have the ethical obligation to support every student who walks through our school doors, regardless of citizenship status. As with all students, we owe them a safe and supportive environment to grow and explore their passions. Our undocumented students have access to college and careers; however, they will face unique and often frustrating hurdles on their way to pursuing their dreams and it is our obligation to be as informed as possible about these obstacles to help enhance their future successes.
Although we can’t ask a student’s citizenship status, we can create an environment of inclusion and acceptance to help our students seek the support they need. We need to address the unique needs of undocumented students during regular guidance lessons and include terms such as citizen, permanent resident, and undocumented student. When discussing federal financial aid, make sure to also discuss state and institutional aid available to students without documentation; intentionally seek out scholarship monies that don’t require the student to be a citizen and especially those for undocumented students; and advocate that private donor scholarships remove citizenship status as one of the requirements.
In Colorado, we have a number of postsecondary institutions (e.g., Colorado State University, Community College of Denver, MSU Denver, University of Northern Colorado) that are working to support undocumented students and provide resources to make their transition to college not only attainable but welcoming.
Read the complete article
The beginning of a new year can be a time to look back and reflect on how far we have come, and to look forward and consider where we are going. Wherever you may be on your path toward becoming a school counselor, we encourage you to join us in reflecting on your journey and the process of selecting your dream job! Maybe you have always known you wanted to be a counselor or perhaps your road has been quite winding and filled with lots of unexpected surprises. As we have been reflecting on career readiness in the new year, we can’t help but consider career readiness from two different perspectives. First, how are we helping our students increase their career readiness, and second, how prepared are we ourselves?
Read the complete article
Career Awareness in Middle School
By Stella MaezCareer awareness: is it ever too early to start talking to students about their future? My middle school students ask, “Why do we have to learn about resumes, job applications? We aren’t even old enough to get a job.”
Each year we add to our ICAP (Individual Career Academic Plan) portfolios. Staring in fifth grade, students create a portfolio to hold artifacts of what they learn about colleges, careers and financial literacy. We believe that middle school students should begin to learn the basic vocabulary of career readiness, along with postsecondary options. When our students get to high school, they will have the background knowledge and be ready to apply themselves in the job market.
Our eighth-grade students create resumes, practice completing job applications and ask for a letter of recommendation, among other career-related projects. They learn about professional dress and shaking hands, and take an exit interview with a panel.
Read details about these programs and the outcomes in the complete article.
Career and College Planning with Dreamers
By Elise C. Hauer, Thornton High SchoolWe school counselors have the ethical obligation to support every student who walks through our school doors, regardless of citizenship status. As with all students, we owe them a safe and supportive environment to grow and explore their passions. Our undocumented students have access to college and careers; however, they will face unique and often frustrating hurdles on their way to pursuing their dreams and it is our obligation to be as informed as possible about these obstacles to help enhance their future successes.
Although we can’t ask a student’s citizenship status, we can create an environment of inclusion and acceptance to help our students seek the support they need. We need to address the unique needs of undocumented students during regular guidance lessons and include terms such as citizen, permanent resident, and undocumented student. When discussing federal financial aid, make sure to also discuss state and institutional aid available to students without documentation; intentionally seek out scholarship monies that don’t require the student to be a citizen and especially those for undocumented students; and advocate that private donor scholarships remove citizenship status as one of the requirements.
In Colorado, we have a number of postsecondary institutions (e.g., Colorado State University, Community College of Denver, MSU Denver, University of Northern Colorado) that are working to support undocumented students and provide resources to make their transition to college not only attainable but welcoming.
Read the complete article
Building Career Readiness Through Sharing Your Career Story
By Christina Jurekovic and Katygene Jackson, CSCA Grad Student LiaisonsThe beginning of a new year can be a time to look back and reflect on how far we have come, and to look forward and consider where we are going. Wherever you may be on your path toward becoming a school counselor, we encourage you to join us in reflecting on your journey and the process of selecting your dream job! Maybe you have always known you wanted to be a counselor or perhaps your road has been quite winding and filled with lots of unexpected surprises. As we have been reflecting on career readiness in the new year, we can’t help but consider career readiness from two different perspectives. First, how are we helping our students increase their career readiness, and second, how prepared are we ourselves?
Read the complete article