With college application season underway, Oakland Tech’s College and Career Center (CCC) continues to shine, full of exciting opportunities for senior students. Located in the basement, this meaningful resource allows students to start planning their lives after high school. From essay help to college visits, there is a wide range of support.
“My intention is to ensure all students are aware of the many pathways available after high school,” says CCC lead, Mr. Adrian Navarro (Mr. W).
Since Mr. W joined the team, the use of the CCC’s resources by students has grown. However, the number of students is still significantly lower than desired, with around 12-16% of seniors consistently showing up every week, and a slightly larger amount coming to the occasional college visits. This is mostly due to the limited awareness of the resources offered for students. Oakland Tech is a huge school, and with such a large population, there is a lot of diversity. That is one of the main reasons Mr. W chose to work here.
Mr. W says he wants to make the CCC a more digestible perspective of college for anyone to feel prepared for life after high school. The space is for anyone to inquire about different paths, and for students where college is not always a common conversation at home. The goal is for students who don’t normally learn about college to be able to have somewhere to go and discover.
Taking the opportunities offered is really important, “You gotta make a plan, you gotta make it now, you make that decision.” stated Mr. W.
One of the huge misconceptions about the CCC is that it is only for learning about four year universities, but it is so much more than that. You can get information about any sort of path after high school, even if it isn’t more school.
“It’s very easy for the education folks in education to talk down on students,” says Mr. W “but we can’t blame y’all.”
Of the wide range of elements offered at the CCC, Mr. W has some favorites, among the many kinds of music he likes to play. He also explained that the adults there understand the stress, all they want to do is help. It is easy to dismiss students’ stress about all they deal with during senior year. However, what is important about the CCC is that the adults there work to support the students, and help them through this hard time.
The CCC has so many fun features. From music gatherings during lunch to occasional college visits from your favorite cities, Mr. W has done so much to encourage more student participation.
“You’ll be hearing some R&B, some Bachata, some Bruno Mars, you name it,” says Mr. W.
So make the effort, come down to the college and career center, form a plan for after high school, and maybe do it with some fun music in the background!