NSU Educational Talent Search hosts July mini-camps

(Tahlequah, Okla.)--As an aid in college preparation for high school students entering their junior and senior years, the Northeastern State University Educational Talent Search TRIO program hosted a pair of mini-camps.

"Career Camp" and "The College Encounter" brought students from Tahlequah, Keys, Sand Springs, Coweta, Sapulpa, Kellyville, Jay, Wagoner, Mannford, Inola, Muskogee Hilldale, Tulsa Memorial, Tulsa Edison and Kansas, Okla. The camps were held on the NSU campus. College Encounter was also held at NSU-Broken Arrow.

Along with staff, several mentors work with ETS students during the summer mini-camps. Four of the five mentors are ETS TRIO alumni and part of the Presidents Leadership Class Scholarship program.

Having the college students work with our ETS groups is vital," said Shelia Fritts, ETS coordinator for NSU's Tahlequah campus. "They have so much to share about their college experience their scholarships and financial aid, campus activities, college courses and majors the high school students are getting current information first-hand. And because they are all part of the ETS family, establishing rapport, communication and trust all come very easily."

The Career Camp on July 23-24 was attended by 32 high school juniors. Initial activities acquainted the students. In the computer lab, the group completed the FOCUS online assessment to identify strengths, weaknesses, interests, personality traits and potential careers. The ETS staff helped students create cover letters and resumes, and conducted mock interviews. At the close of the first day, the staff hosted a tie dye party. The group then watched a film in the auditorium of the W. Roger Webb Educational Technology Center before spending the night in campus housing.

Career exploration is an important part of our programming," said Diane Walker, director of NSU Educational Talent Search. "We want to help the students identify their main areas of interest and learn about the college majors that match their career goals This being our first Career Camp, the turnout spoke volumes about what our students want to learn and the experiences they want to have to prepare for their college and career goals.

The campers spent the second day making several career field trips in the Tahlequah area. Business professionals each spent 30-45 minutes visiting with the group to discuss their fields. Each session also included a Q&A and students learned about required education and training, duties and responsibilities, salary and work conditions. Those providing career field trips included J.D Carey, CPA; Judge Mark Dobbins; Todd Hembree, attorney; Renda Reese-Davis, finance and insurance; Rick Risenhoover, physical therapy; Dr. Kyle Rozell, veterinarian; the Tahlequah Fire Department; the chef and staff at The Branch; Dr. Matt Walker, dentist; Beverly Jeanes, real estate agent; and Dr. Amy Aldridge Sanford, NSU professor.

The group debriefed their camp experiences the afternoon of the 24th.

The College Encounter helped high school seniors get a head start on college admissions, scholarship searches and financial aid. The Tahlequah camp had 13 students attend and Broken Arrow hosted eight. Campers visited the computer labs to obtain personal ID numbers for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), complete the FAFSA Forecaster, register for the ACT, update their profiles on a scholarship search engine, create their scholarship resumes and take the StrengthsQuest on-line assessment.

Jennifer Chessmore, Upward Bound Director at Oklahoma State University and Farmhouse Fraternity housemother, offered an etiquette lesson to the NSUBA campers during a four-course lunch, and repeated the lesson at dinner for the Tahlequah students. Chessmore also explained general good manners and behavior to the groups.

It was an extremely productive day, said Ryan Eller, NSUBA ETS coordinator. The etiquette lesson was definitely the highlight, but seniors always comment about how they would have waited until the last minute to address these tasks and how much they appreciate getting help with their resumes. These students will begin their senior years in a few weeks and this motivated group will be 10 steps ahead of the pack.

The NSU Educational Talent Search programs on the Tahlequah and Broken Arrow campuses serves 1,000 students from 17 area schools. ETS provides college and career counseling and helps students recognize their strengths through educational, cultural and adventure activities. The NSU-ETS program is a federally-funded TRIO program through the United States Department of Education.

For more information about NSU's Educational Talent Search find "Educational Talent Search NSU" on Facebook.