The Career Expose
You could see the smiles, hear the eager questions, and feel the energy in the room as our YELLS Community Action Cafe teens – or “Business Scholars” as we call them – interacted with professionals in their career fields of interest. The first annual Career Expose provided the motivation our students needed to fuel their hard work in school and provide direction for their educational journeys.
Professionals came from all over Georgia to share their stories with our YELLS teens. Not only did our YELLS Scholars get to visit representatives from different professions like a typical career fair, but they also had the opportunity to spend more time delving deeper with business and professional leaders in the careers that interested them most. Our Scholars learned about the educational journey that led guests to their line of work, and also the requirements for pursuing that track. The students were enlightened and were able to visualize themselves in some of the professions presented. Dr. Shayla Brown, a dentist, came all the way from Albany, Georgia to meet with the teens. One of the teens stated, “I’ve never met a black woman dentist.” It was important for our students to see professionals that look like them. They were inspired and learned that higher education and the various careers can be their reality.
Turner Construction sponsored a table at the event and shared the business of commercial construction. The HR manager, community connections manager, and two project managers were present. Our students were surprised to learn all the different avenues of commercial construction. Other professions represented included a video game animator, a successful business owner and balloon artist, a massage therapist and health educator, a dance company owner, a Delta flight attendant, a nurse, a representative from the KSU nursing program, a representative from WorkSource Cobb, a fashion merchandiser, a dentist, and a realtor.
The College Tour
While the seeds of motivation were planted, there was more to be sown. Tina Adewole, our Community Action Cafe Program Coordinator, was determined to expose our youth to colleges throughout Georgia, and she made it happen! The first ever YELLS College Tour took youth on a three-day journey visiting nine colleges, including Chattahochee Tech, Kennesaw State University, Life University, Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Spelman College, Georgia State University, University of Georgia, and Georgia Gwinnett College.
YELLS Business Scholars had the opportunity to experience college life and see the different types of schools available to them. Our teens met current students to ask questions and get a feel for college life and what it means to be a college student. They also visited with admissions personnel and specific academic departments (i.e. nursing, psychology department, business department, performing arts). What was really cool was that our YELLS staff served as alumni tour guides to four of the schools on the tour. It was really special for the students to visit the schools of their instructors. One Business Scholar shared, “I can really tell you love your school; this makes me want to come here.” Chris Salley, our Fundraising Specialist VISTA, recounted the power of this experience: “When I got the opportunity to accompany the teens on the first Annual College Tour, it was not only a highlight of my month, but one of the highlights of my term of service with YELLS. Even though I did not go to one of the colleges that we toured, I loved the opportunity to share details of my time in college and help them see that they, too, could be on a college campus one day soon. As we toured Life, Kennesaw State, Morehouse, and Atlanta Clark, I could see the students picturing themselves in the shoes of those students, and being there to witness that is an experience I’ll always cherish.”
Expressing her gratitude, a YELLS teen remarked, “Thank you for taking us on this tour. I probably would have never had this experience if it weren’t for YELLS.” The tour was truly transformational for some of our youth. Business Scholars that weren’t sure if they were able to attend college were motivated to keep working hard in school and begin to visualize themselves in higher education. One of our parents even called after the tour and affirmed, “My son has never talked about going to college, but when he came home from the tour, he is now interested in college.”
