Harding Students Get Taste of Colleges, Careers
A College & Career Fair was hosted for students at Harding Middle School.
Middle School?
Harding could’ve easily been mistaken for a high school last Friday morning when it hosted a College & Career Fair that focused students’ attention on where they’re headed after school, as in after high school, not Friday night.
“We have over 40 classroom guest speakers coming to visit with students,” said Harding Principal Joy Linquist. “This day was planned in collaboration with I Have a Dream, Community in Schools, and Gear Up. This all-in approach by our Harding team and community partners illustrates our commitment to preparing our students for post-secondary experiences.”
In addition to those guest speakers (they included School Board Chair Rob Barron and Major/Head Coach Sean Quinlan from the North High School Marine JROTC and football programs) the Harding gym was turned over to exhibitors from Iowa colleges and universities and public service agencies like the Des Moines Police and Fire Departments.
Alex Piedras was kept busy by a steady stream of inquirers. He’s the Director of Multicultural and Community Outreach at nearby Grand View University.
“What are your plans when you grow up?” he asked a curious quintet of 6th graders that approached him. Ricardo, Valentin, Hugo, Fernando and Javier have some big ones: immigration lawyer, one said; policeman said another. Pediatrician, soldier, veterinarian…
Piedras nodded and smiled. Besides a brief rundown of the types of classes required to make those dreams come true he handed each student a Grand View pencil they’ll need to keep sharp and reminded them that GVU is practically right around the corner if they ever want to drop in and talk with him.
“It’s not unusual for local school classes to come to campus for a tour,” Piedras said during a brief break in the action at his table. “But an event like this hosted at the middle school level is unusual. It’s a good idea for both sides – the students and the schools that are represented here.”
The point can’t be made too often with younger students, especially those from families where they stand to be the first generation to attend college or pursue any sort of formal post-secondary training, that after graduation from high school should come some sort of 13th grade.
“When I Have A Dream first started planting these seeds colleges didn’t quite know how to present themselves to younger students,” said neighborhood alum Heather Isaacson who serves both Harding and Findley Elementary in her role with IHAD. “But now they realize that it makes sense for them to get engaged with potential first generation, nontraditional applicants as early as possible. It’s become part of their business model.”
The trick can often be to convince kids and their families that if they couple their dream with hard work in school there will be resources available to help them afford the next step[s] after high school graduation.
“We help the families get over the sticker shock that often comes with the raw numbers of the retail price for college these days,” Isaacson said.
Okay, so maybe the fairgoers Friday at Harding were a bit on the wee side to be mistaken for high schoolers. But only in terms of physical size. They seemed well aware of how close a place like Grand View is to where they are right now, in time as well as space.
