Are you interested in applying to colleges, but don’t know where to start? Do you want to learn about scholarships, recommendation letters, or the SAT? These questions can be answered by Ms. Haverkamp or Mrs. Toombs in the Career Center, located across from the main office in the lobby. Juniors and seniors also have the additional opportunity to attend the College Access Program. “CAP” meets during all four lunches, on Tuesdays for juniors and Thursdays for seniors.
While the College Access Program meets only on certain days of the week, the Career Center itself is open every day for student use. The room is filled with shelves of college search books, SAT and ACT preparation materials, various scholarship packets, and, of course, a knowledgeable adult. Ms. Haverkamp, Leonardtown’s Career Center coordinator, is almost always available to answer questions regarding college and scholarship applications, graduation requirements, and anything about the future in general. She comments that it “is here for parents, teachers, and students to research jobs, careers, and colleges, allowing them to see what best suits their needs. Sometimes adults who have graduated from Leonardtown come back to see what’s going on so they can further their career or education.” During the college search process, it is always helpful to be able to speak to someone who has experienced it all before. According to Ms. Haverkamp, that is the goal of the Career Center: “Any time you can have that discussion with someone else, you usually learn more and get further because someone else has already done what you want to do. Why reinvent the wheel?”
Although the Career Center is open to everyone, it features a program specifically for juniors and seniors: the College Access Program. Mrs. Toombs, who runs the program, states that the goal of CAP is “to help students understand that any type of higher education—not necessarily a four-year college—is important and to give them the tools they need to navigate the application process.” Juniors, who are invited to attend the program on Tuesdays during their lunch, start off slowly with career exploration. “The goal is to have them applying during the summer before their senior year so that the school year is slightly less stressful,” says Mrs. Toombs. Callie Brown, a senior who attended the College Access Program during her junior year, urges current juniors to “Take advantage of it while you can and start early! It definitely helps a lot with the college search.” Seniors, who can come to the Career Center on Thursday, hit the ground running: looking at the Common Application, talking about scholarships, and explaining everything else that they need to know for their future. Mrs. Toombs comments that, “The best part is working with a student from beginning to end. I love helping them find that perfect place and watching them put a cap on the College Acceptance Board.”
The Career Center features the most up-to-date information possible regarding scholarships and college applications. Not only is it a great place to discover wonderful opportunities, it can also be a quiet place to study. Remember, the College Access Program is open to all juniors on Tuesdays and seniors on Thursdays! Bring a lunch and a friend!
