2A. Danna Chacon, a 17-year-old incoming high school senior who has a wide array of college on her watch to pursue as an option to go to for college.
2B. Matt Schalch, a 17-year-old incoming high school senior, involved in the Student Government Association as Student Body Secretary in charge of delegating and hosting executive meetings and looking at private 4-year universities for scholarships.
2C. Maya Jawhari, a 17-year-old incoming high school senior, involved in the Dual Enrollment program looking to attend an in-state 4-year public university where they accept her Associate in Arts degree from Valencia College.
Begin with need awareness.
3A. When did you first become aware of the problem regarding paying for a college education?
3A1. I haven't taken in the problem yet because I am still deciding on where to apply to college. The application process sounds absolutely nerve-racking to me to even start thinking about. I am always on the fence if I should go to a public and private college or university.
3A2. I have taken notice of the problem because I want to pursue a professional degree. I know the financial aid offered by private universities can either be sufficient or very little, which can help assist me in making the right choice for college.
3A2. I had taken notice of the problem when I first spoke with my guidance counselor. She mentioned to me that Bright Futures is looking for 3 things: SAT/ACT score, GPA, and community service hours. For myself, I get test anxiety, so it is complicated to focus on such an extended test.
3B. Has the COVID-19 pandemic interfered with your plans to pursue a college education?
3B1. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many losing their jobs. As an intern for my local state representative, I have been assisting her in filing unemployment claims. There have been so many in the state of Florida thus far.
3B2. The pandemic has only caused me to push my limits further. I am looking to pursue all the opportunities I possibly can. Housing is the most expensive part of college for in-state universities.
3B3. I have been looking at maybe staying home and going to the University of Central Florida. It saves money and time if I want to become a doctor. Medical school is very, very expensive.
4C. Move to information search.
4C1. My number one source of information is my teachers at school. Because it is so easy to talk to them, I continuously am curious they stay so up-to-date. I have received a lot of college advice from my teachers to save money. I search for help from others versus the Internet.
4C2. My parents are a great source of information because they always have me on their minds. They are still willing to help with whatever I need. I just need to have a mentor who guides me further from an educational and financial perspective. I have been looking for many scholarships online provided by the guidance counselor.
4C3. The guidance counselor has the latest updates. Our school offers college visits and college fairs to help steer people in the direction of having a higher education. These resources have very helpful. The brochures often have information that is difficult to find on the school website.
5. I have learned that many factors play a role more than ever when wanting to pursue higher education after a pandemic. These students are amongst the wide variety of student involvement and service projects. All of them are a part of the Interact Club, which is a service-based organization that specializes in Service Above Self and the importance of networking. It was a pleasure to interview them as they all have big dreams. These kids are all learning as they go because their parents can't go help and engage them on how to pursue higher education after a worldwide pandemic.
6. These prospective college students are working hard to pursue their dreams and provide awareness to me that they have passion. They are igniting and sparking a flame to initiate this educational program. I hope it can help future students to pursue higher education without the worry of a worldwide pandemic occurring and affecting them financially.
Hi Sophia,
ReplyDeleteI think the segment you chose is a very good one. Juniors in high school are just now taking their SATs/ACTs and are now beginning to think about what college they're going to and how they are going to pay for it. I addressed this in my post and in a comment on another blog; many potential customers get their information from friends, family, trusted individuals, etc, and that holds true for your idea too. I think that if you are going to market this to someone, I would market this idea to schools, since many students are getting their financial aid information from their counselors and teachers.
Will Templin