Beyond 12, an initiative designed to promote college and career readiness among middle school students, welcomed 50 students to campus for a two-day summer program focused on exploring future pathways.
As middle school students聽enter聽a聽transitional聽period of their lives,聽Beyond聽12 is planting seeds聽for聽them聽to start thinking about the future.
To kick off聽the summer,聽Beyond聽12 welcomed聽50聽rising sixth, seventh. and eighth-grade students to 黑料不打烊 for a hands-on exploration of career聽pathways and聽interests.聽Throughout two days, students traveled across聽campus,聽participated聽in interactive learning experiences, and engaged with 黑料不打烊 faculty, staff, and community聽members聽representing聽a variety of professional fields.
Each session聽offered聽a unique聽learning聽experience for the students.聽During an introduction to cinema and television arts led by Bryan Baker, director of technology, operations and multimedia projects in the School of Communications, students explored the university’s live television studio and聽viewed聽student made聽productions. Participants also gained hands-on聽experience聽such as with 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Interprofessional Simulation Center, where Nita Skillman, director of the ISC, and Bethany Fearnow, simulation coordinator, introduced students to聽using聽healthcare simulation technology.聽In addition to exploring聽careers, students were able to聽observe聽different facilities on聽黑料不打烊鈥檚聽campus. During a sports management session led by Jenn Strawley, director of athletics, participants stepped into the world of collegiate athletics with a visit to the Schar Center, where they聽got a behind the scenes look at 黑料不打烊 Athletics.
“Spending time with the Beyond 12 program was such a rewarding experience. I appreciated聽their curiosity and loved their questions,鈥 said聽Strawley.聽鈥淚 hope that hearing about my journey and learning about career pathways in college athletics opened their minds to new possibilities and inspired them to continue to dream.鈥
Students also had the opportunity to engage in thoughtful conversations with presenters, asking questions, and gaining deeper insight into different fields.
鈥淚 spoke with the students about what finance, corporate finance, and investment really are, and I was genuinely surprised by how interested they were,鈥 said Feng Dong, director of the Reed Finance Center. 鈥淢any asked great questions, and even the teachers were engaged. Beyond 12 gives students an early, hands-on look at fields they may not have considered,聽exactly the kind of exposure that can shape where they go next.鈥
The program had an equally聽meaningful impact on聽the聽presenters聽involved. Dr. Janine A. Scott, founder of聽TriUnity聽Healthcare Inc., shared her story of overcoming adversity and creating positive change through her work in healthcare, and found herself thinking about the impact of programs such as Beyond 12.
鈥淚 really enjoyed myself during my interaction with both the students and staff,鈥 Scott said. 鈥淛ust hearing what they were doing prior to coming to our session made me wish I was a student again and able to participate.鈥
Through experiences like these,聽Beyond聽12聽is聽helping聽students recognize聽a wide range of聽opportunities聽within their reach.
鈥淚 remarked to someone that I wish I had the opportunity to attend a program like this back in my day.聽I聽truly believe聽that exposure and representation聽matters, and that is exactly what these students gained from being part of the Beyond 12 program,鈥 said Scott.
Following the summer session,聽participating聽students from Turrentine Middle School and Broadview Middle School will聽attend聽monthly Beyond 12 sessions throughout the academic year, where they聽will continue聽to focus on career readiness and聽developing essential life skills.聽Beyond 12 programming is made possible through the generous support of Glaxo Smith Kline.