The Senior Seminar focused on college and career readiness and boasted almost 30 breakout sessions including classes about applying for scholarships, filling out a FAFSA, budgeting and credit, starting your own business, joining the workforce, army recruiting, renting an apartment, purchasing a vehicle, and even mental health awareness.
Sessions were hosted by FHS staff and community members from Texas Tech University, United Supermarkets, South Plains College, Texas Tech Credit Union, the Lubbock Apartment Association, Lowell Wealth Management, UMC and Covenant, and military recruits representing the Army, Marines, and Navy.
“We start planning for this seminar months in advance by reaching out to our students to get feedback on what kinds of topics and sessions they would like to see,” said Amy Baker, Frenship ISD Career and Technical Education Coordinator. “Then we get to work on planning a schedule that allows kids to pick various sessions that revolve around their interests or needs.”
Baker said over the last six years, she has ensured the Senior Seminar is something that helps students plan for their futures, no matter what they hold.
“We tried to plan sessions based on student needs,” Baker said. “For instance, we have sessions that speak about stress management and mental health, talking about anxiety and depression for friends and loved ones. We have sessions that talk about investments and the stock market and how to open your own business for our future entrepreneurs. We also have sessions that address our college bound students, from financial aide and scholarships and filling out the FAFSA. We really try to have a pathway for each student and each plan.”
Baker said she recognizes that all of the students at Frenship High School are different and she wants this event to prepare each of them.
“In just a few short months our seniors are going to walk out those doors and they are going to leave their high school experience behind, and we want them to feel equipped and prepared to be able to tackle the challenges of real life,” Baker said. “That means understanding how to get a job, how to have a successful resume, how to interview, how to communicate and work well with others, so this is really preparing them for the rest of their futures.”
Jenni Long and Delanie Free are seniors at FHS and attended the Senior Seminar. Both students expressed they believe this opportunity is something special and useful for their near futures.
“I was excited to attend the sessions about scholarships and things that I am not sure how to do yet when it comes to preparing for college,” Long said. She explained that she hopes to attend the University of North Texas to study environmental law.
“I think it is important that Frenship offers this to us,” Long said. “A lot of people won’t know how to do these things in the adult world, and we get to learn them right here kind of early, before it’s time to get started.”
Free said she was excited to attend the sessions that involved identifying strengths and personality traits. She said she wanted to use those sessions to help her develop a resume and be able to target her skills.
“Resumes are the first impression that employers get of you,” Free said. “It is really important to me to be able to put my best qualities on there and to be as prepared as possible for my future.”
Baker said the seminar is something she looks forward to each year because it is so useful for students.
“I think sometimes students are a little nervous or reserved to show up to classes and workshops but when they get here and see the schedule, there is always positive feedback,” Baker said. “Kids talk about how grateful they are for this experience and how much they learned, or they really connect with someone who truly changes the trajectory and pathway of their career choice.”