A group of Richmond students have organized a new conference to prepare fellow high schoolers for university and college.
The event, called Transitions, will begin with a panel of university students who grew up in Richmond who will answer questions from high school students across the district. Then in the afternoon, there are four workshops: one on the university and college application process, one on entrance exams (for schools in the U.S.), another on how to finance your degree and a post-secondary survival guide.
“Recently, there’s been so much stress going on for the younger grades, and we really wanted to help them out,” said Kerrie Ye, a Grade 12 student at Steveston-London who helped organize the event through the Richmond School District Council Organization.
Joey Huang, a Grade 11 student at JN Burnett Secondary School and RSDCO chair, said she hopes it de-mystifies the looming transition. She said this conference is different from other university fairs because it’s organized by high schoolers in order to answer their own burning questions.
Huang added discovering your passions is just as important for going to university as figuring out the applications process.
She recalled a science fair that introduced her to public speaking, and ended up steering her away from science and into business as a career path.
“I’m really interested in it because allows me to work with other people,” she said.
David Partridge, a district administrator who works on student leadership, said the RSDCO students came up with the idea, and executed it with minimal assistance.
“It’s always a positive job to work with motivated, thoughtful young leaders,” he said.
Transitions, Ye said, is probably most useful for students in Grade 10 and Grade 11 who are learning about their options. She's already submitted her applications, and is waiting for responses.
“I think it’s just so overwhelming. You have so many choices,” she said. "It would be really helpful to know all the steps and have a clear path.”
The event is being held at Steveston-London Secondary School on Feb. 23.
