Area students attend College Experience Day

On March 21, the Yellow Medicine Integration Collaborative (YMIC), (Canby Public High School, Dawson-Boyd High School, Lakeview Secondary School, Minneota High School, Renville County West High School, and Yellow Medicine East High Schools), in partnership with the Southwest Minnesota Private Industry Council (PIC) Youth and Young Adult Programs hosted their 8th annual The College Experience Day at Southwest Minnesota State University for over 260 high school juniors.

Featured at the event were:

Glenda Vizecky, financial planner with Modern Woodman, talked about finance options for college and afterwards. She emphasizes on ensuring students are financially aware and ready for potential obstacles in the future.

Luke Greiner, DEED labor market analyst placed an emphasis on the Greater Minnesota economy and job market, industry trends, workforce availability, and hiring demand. Greiner encourages students, parents, and teachers to understand Labor Market Information and allow it to guide their career planning and decision making. To learn more about Labor Market Information and the data tools available visit http://mn.gov/deed/data/ or visit http://www.swmnpic.org/labor-market-infographics/. The information located on the sites focuses on education and wage range by education level, annual tuition increases, cost of a degree, and demand jobs in the region.

Dr. Michael Monroe Kiefer presented “Success in Life With High Work Ethic.”He emphasized on how much work ethic is instantly recognized, respected and liked. It is an unusual quality possessed by relatively few, but also easily learned. His inspirational keynote speech provided the basis for developing a personal code of high work ethic along with some entertaining examples! In addition, Kiefer discussed “Interviewing Skills That Get You Hired.” This session covered key tips that would help anyone do well and get hired in an interview. This session answered questions like: How early should I arrive?What should I bring with me? How should I dress? What about filling out an application form? and many more. Also, students asked various questions about the job interview experience!

Chelsea Lund, owner, Impressions by Chelsea, talked to the students about the importance of social branding for success. She talked about first impressions aren’t the only thing that matter, but the second, third and fifth impressions matter too. Students should think about how they are presenting themselves through their social media, public interactions and their day to day presences too.

The College Experience Day focuses on a variety of career and college readiness topics including: Career Planning using labor market Information, funding post-secondary with scholarships and grants, financial literacy, time management, organization management, study skills, college admissions, stress management, and employability skills. The College Experience Day is a means of affecting attitudes and practices in schools and communities which encourage students and their families to obtain the information, tools and perspectives to enhance readiness for access to and success in post-secondary education and in the workforce.