Rising sophomores and juniors spent two days this summer learning how to be leaders, experiencing the college-going process and exploring potential career pathways while immersing themselves in the prestigious UCLA campus as part of the Career Academic Preparation Academy (CAPA).
The program – held in collaboration with the Chicano-a Latino-a Educational Foundation (CLEF) – allowed students to envision themselves as university scholars while learning about majors, careers and the importance of academic and extracurricular activities to build a strong resume.
From my experience in working with students for over 30 years, nothing beats having students on a college campus getting a real-life college experience.
Hugo Cristales, who leads CLEF and serves as the associate director of the UCLA Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP)
In addition to exploring dorms and the campus, students participated in workshops on careers, majors and degrees; the do’s and don’ts of public speaking; how to write a resume and use it for applying for scholarships; and the importance of earning a college degree and turning their major into a career. Students practiced their presentation skills by sharing their SMART goals with the class.
They also heard from various professionals, who took questions about their pathways and how they arrived at their chosen fields, during a panel.
“I recommend this program for classmates and other students because it’s a good way to learn about different majors in college,” said Heaven Ford, a junior at Fremont High School.