Ernst & Young LLP brought their signature group-mentoring program to 20 Southeastern High School students in November.
The program focuses on empowering students in high school so they can gain access to college and succeed in higher education. College MAP (Mentoring for Access and Persistence) matches Ernst & Young volunteer mentors with groups of local high school 11th and 12th graders.
College MAP in a Day, the program Ernst & Young brought to Southeastern High School, is a condensed version of the full program that takes place during one session and generally targets 10th or 11th graders who are not part of the full program. Ernst & Young sent 10 volunteers to the Southeastern to engage students in various activities and exercises to increase their interest and knowledge about attending college.
“It’s a benefit for our young students to know and understand that college and career is an option at an early age,” said Nechole Drake-McClendon, Southeastern’s College transition adviser. “We enjoy planting the seeds early so that students can make post-secondary planning decisions for their future prior to graduation.”
A few of the topics covered included college major exploration, wacky college majors, application completion, discovering your values, email education and high school resume.
Students were engaged and enthusiastic, Drake-McClendon said.
“The EY Team was so impressed with our students that they have decided to continue the program as a monthly mentoring initiative starting in January 2023,” Drake-McClendon said. “The 20 participants will be the ambassadors to promote the program and recruit an additional 10 students, which will become a cohort supported by EY until they graduate, and hopefully beyond.”
