The transition from high school to college doesn’t have to be bumpy, if you have the right guidance and support along the way. That’s why the Bound Brook High School’s College & Career Readiness Now summer bootcamp has become so popular.
In its third year, BBHS’s College & Career Readiness Now (CCRN) summer bootcamp provided students with key resources and guidance as they began to take their next steps toward the future.
The summer program, which worked in conjunction with a grant from Raritan Valley Community College, gave students the opportunity to come and work on post-graduation pathway planning.
Students got ahead on several preparation tasks like navigating Naviance, filling out FAFSA and HESAA financial forms, writing essays, managing the Common Application, as well as learning more about teacher recommendations and scholarships. The program aligned similar assistance for parents to help with their child’s college planning, including the management of financial options.
“I’ve taken advantage of CCRN for the last two years,” said Avery Scire, a BBHS senior. “I think it’s beneficial for both juniors and seniors. For the juniors, it really helps them with SAT prep. Being a senior this year, it really helped me in the application process and also filling out the FAFSA. I think without it this summer, I would be behind.”
Throughout the program, students got the chance to hear from recent BBHS alumni, Jordy Chaves and Jennifer Cespedes, who assisted with college planning and shared their journey. Both alumni who participated over the summer were previous attendees of the CCRN Bootcamp!
Around 80 students took part in this summer’s program – a record high from the 30 students who first participated in summer 2021.
“It was so helpful with the writing process,” added Scarlette Showbowale, another BBHS student who attended the program. “CCRN brought out new writing techniques that I never learned before. Also, the editing process was another beneficial part of this program. I also loved the fact that mentors like Jordy Chavez and Jennifer Cespedes were there to help.”
Mr. William Ross, the supervisor of Career Technical Education and Work-Based Learning, coordinated the program alongside Mr. Lee Casperson, a teacher of Special Education and History. Other advisors of the summer program included Ms. Jill Talewsky, Mr. Nicholas Moran, Ms. Jenna Calo, Mr. Steven Fischer, Ms. Michelle Ramirez and Ms. Veronica Schumann.
While the CCRN program took place over the summer, Mr. Ross notes its importance as students shift into the current school year, which they are encouraged to take advantage of.
“We will continue this process by setting up a pathway planning meeting for all seniors,” he said. “Of the current senior class, we’ve met 60 students so far, and we will continue the work with the remaining students during the school year. That’s something that this summer program is looking to implement. Within the first 45 days of school, we look to meet with the 90 or so seniors that we have not met with yet.”
If you are interested in joining the summer program next year:
From April to June, advisors work on a major outreach to students and parents to encourage sign-ups for the bootcamp. Students from grades 9-12 are all welcome. Juniors and seniors are highly encouraged to sign up.
For more resources on future success, visit the Bound Brook High School site: https://bbhs.bbrook.org