The Graduation Preparedness Course aims to provide resources to students about how they can prepare for life after high school. The topics include Applying to College, Financials of College, Personal Finance, and the Job Application Process. Remember: this is just a starting point! More information about these topics can be found through your own research or through an academic counselor. Follow us on Instagram to view these courses on IGTV! @secgradprep
“This video covers helpful information about the ‘Researching Colleges’ process. Topics include choosing an area of study, institution location and size, types of institutions, and cost. If you're considering applying to college, this video is a must-watch.” - Kate Jaeckle and Brianna Barrow
“This video focuses on what you should look for when applying to a community college. We talk about what you should focus on when doing research for a college, and what the application process looks like. Resources for further information and application sites are also included.” - Ashley Bilicek and Dean Hoff
"Trade schools are a common but often unknown opportunity for graduating high school students. This video describes what a trade school is and how it differs from other educational programs. After viewing this video, students will hopefully have a greater understanding of the benefits of a trade school and how it may help them pursue their desired career.” - Ben Wick
"Trade schools are a common but often unknown opportunity for graduating high school students. This video describes what a trade school is and how it differs from other educational programs. After viewing this video, students will hopefully have a greater understanding of the benefits of a trade school and how it may help them pursue their desired career.” - Ben Wick
“This video contains images that provide bullet points for guidance in writing a good college essay. Alongside, a voice over was filmed reading over the bullet points. Together, the voice over and the slideshow, will provide incoming freshmen with a clear guide to essay writing!” - Monse
“FAFSA and TAFSA are assessments used to determine financial aid eligibility for federal and state financial aid. Figure out which application you need to fill out in order to receive aid and the steps towards completing this application. These forms are critical, as they are often required to receive any sort of scholarship.” - Emma Ramirez
“I describe the different types of scholarships: college and third party, as well as where most of these are found. Scholarships found from a specific college can usually be found on a Scholarship Portal on their website, while third party scholarships must usually be found (and are on the local, state, and even national level). Scholarships can also be found by the activities someone participates in in high school. At the end, I also encourage them to apply, there isn't any harm in applying!” - Taylor Reinke
“I give you 5 important tips to strongly consider when applying for scholarships. This video will help you feel a little less stressed about starting those applications!” - Pam Ortiz
“This video details what grants are, how to apply to them, different types of grants, and how to find grants you might qualify for!” - Bryn Stryk
“While loans should not be your go-to plan for financing college, they are often necessary. It is important to understand what a loan is, the steps for pulling out a loan safely, the different types of loans available, and how to apply. This video will walk you through how to approach this process.” - Allison Clarke and Cindy Ho
“Budgeting is an important aspect of personal financing! In this video series I will show you step by step how to create one. This series is specifically designed for someone who has recently graduated from school and is starting their first job. You will learn how to use a budget to achieve your personal financial goals.” - Albert Nyugen
“We start with a brief explanation on why opening a bank account is important. We then show you the different things you will need to open this account and explain the difference between checking and savings accounts. Lastly, we describe the differences between credit cards, debit cards, and ATM cards.” - Sanjana Larrumbide and Justis Morales
“Getting a credit card is a great way to begin managing your credit and personal finances. This brief video details what a credit card is, how it works, how to apply, and how to build credit.” - Jocie Lackey
“Long term saving is an important aspect of personal finance to achieve your goal in the future. This video will help you understand the critical long-term saving categories that you need as you begin to make money.” - Albert Nyugen and Taylor Reinke
“This video explains ways to save money in the short term through budgeting and wise spending. It details different strategies for spending money by targeting what you need versus what you want. It also talks about budgeting and how it helps lead to better long-term saving.” - Albert Nyugen and Taylor Reinke
“When you begin to work and earn money, the chance is you will have to pay income tax. It is true that taxes can be very complicated but understanding how taxes work on a fundamental level will help you better understand personal financing. This video will give you the basic understanding about tax.” - Albert Nyugen
“This video walks you through the many platforms available for finding jobs, ranging from Indeed to LinkedIn to job fairs to your next-door neighbor. Once you have identified what type of job or career you are looking for, it can be scary and confusing where to locate positions that fit your goals. Online resources and simple connections can help you easily refine your search.” - Allison Clarke
“This video discusses what a student should consider doing in preparation for a job interview. This consists of researching the company & job ahead of time, knowing common interview questions, having prepared stories (that can address questions regarding leadership, teamwork etc.), and dressing in the appropriate attire.” - Ashley Bruno
“This video walks you through how to write a resume. We share the do's/don'ts of writing a resume and use the 4 C's tip. Good luck writing your resume!” - Allie Beall and Ellie Pasquarette
“This video dives into the importance of defining what a job means to the individual. We walk through identifying passions, disinterests, goals, and visions, which all help you determine which work fields to consider. We also encourage viewers to take the time to see how different companies value similar jobs; for example, a mechanical engineering job at Caterpillar will look different than a mechanical engineering job at Apple. Hopefully the tips in this video will be a useful guide in determining what job is best suited for you at the moment!” - Bailee Allen and Cassie McQuinn