On Monday, April 18, 2106, the Career Advancement Academy (CAA) hosted its first evening Financial Aid Workshop for parents and students of Baden High School. The evening workshop is a component of the Baden High School College and Career Readiness course, a CAA bridge program created in collaboration with Baden High School Faculty and Staff. High School seniors in this cohort participate in a six week college preparatory course which includes career exploration, financial literacy, college preparedness—FAFSA, registration, assessment, and an individual counseling session—and culminates with an all-day field trip to Skyline College. The course included several Skyline College Faculty guest lecturers from Counseling, Automotive, Retail and Hospitality, Biotechnology, Allied Health, Emergency Medical Technology, Paralegal, and ESTEM who generously gave of their time to support this project.
During the workshop, students and their families received an overview of the SparkPoint Center and its services from Heather Smith, while the CAA’s Jeremy Evangelista shared information about the many exciting opportunities that await this cohort of newly graduating seniors: the Skyline College’s Promise, Skyline College Promise Scholarship, and the Summer Scholars Institute. In addition, families received a step-by-step financial aid how-to and overview. The event had over 20 Baden High School family attendees and will be incorporated into future Baden High School College and Career Readiness bridge offerings.
Baden High school is an alternative high school for students who are considered at-risk of graduating on time. CAA hopes to continue its collaboration with Baden High School and support students’ transition to career technical education programs and additional pathways in higher education at Skyline College.
The CAAs connect students to higher wage careers and opportunities in higher education by increasing foundational skills in reading, writing and mathematics while enrolling students in career technical training programs. Currently, the Career Advancement Academy has programs in Allied Health, Automotive Technology, Education, Legal Careers, and Biotechnology. For more information about the Career Advancement Academy and related programs contact Jeremy Evangelista, evangelistaJ@smccd.edu.
Article by Monique Hernandez and Photo by Alina Varona
