Close to 1,500 attend College and Career Readiness Forum
The first Scholarship Fair and College Readiness Forum was held at Evangelistic Temple recently. Sponsored by the Lyford Cay Foundation and the US Embassy, and in partnership with The College of The Bahamas and The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the event was part of a two day seminar to advance college and career readiness. The College Board, a globally recognized US non-profit organization were guest presenters.
Close to 1,500 parents and students flocked the venue to gather information from a variety of scholarship providers including – The Lyford Cay Foundation, The Ministry of Education, College Ready, Doctor’s Hospital, BTVI and The College of The Bahamas – before attending the forum.
The College Board who administer standardized tests such as the SAT and AP examinations, lead the presentations. The team stressed the importance of parental involvement and early planning for college by beginning the conversation in the ninth grade. In addition to providing advice on the college admissions process, financial aid resources and SAT preparation, the group shared their free online interactive tool, ‘Big Future’. The tool assists students with choosing a major based on career interests and matches the student to specific colleges.
The country’s two leading scholarship providers, The Ministry of Education and The Lyford Cay Foundation presented information on available scholarships. The forum concluded with representatives from the US Embassy offering guidelines on obtaining a student VISA.
Earlier in the day, The College Board led a day-long workshop for guidance counsellors throughout the country at The College of The Bahamas. “The presenters were dynamic in their approach,” said attendee, Rosalee Prophete, Kingsway Academy Guidance Counsellor. “I was particularly impressed with the ‘Big Future’ tool,” added Ms. Prophete. “Students and counsellors alike are able to simply navigate this site and find all the pertinent information for college and career readiness.” All guidance counsellors will receive SAT and college preparation materials.
The conference culminated with a presentation to school Principals and Ministry of Education, Science and Technology officials on Friday at The Harry C. Moore Library. President of The Lyford Cay Foundation, Alessandra Holowesko, Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy, John Dinkelman and The Honorable Jerome Fitzgerald each expressed their thanks to the parties involved with planning and executing the event.
The Minster called the two day seminar “a wonderful gift to the Bahamian people.” He stated, “I am extremely grateful for the collaborative effort that has been displayed and in fact which is necessary for us to provide opportunities for our students who wish to pursue a college education.”
Monique Hinsey, Director of Scholarships at the Lyford Cay Foundation and lead organizer of the conference described the initiative as a resounding success. “Creating a ‘college-going’ culture in our school system is a team effort and requires all hands on deck,” said Mrs. Hinsey. “We feel assured that we have accomplished our goals through this information exchange of best practices in the college admissions process.”
Presenters from the US based group, The College Board