SIUE’s CORE T.E.A.M. Helps Prepare East St. Louis Charter High School Students for Careers
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Charter High School (CHS) students have the opportunity to gain knowledge about academic majors and career pathways from SIUE faculty and staff during the virtual CHS Midday Speaker Series.
SIUE’s CORE T.E.A.M. (College Readiness: Transition, Engage, Achieve and Mentor) Department began a new speaker series for CHS students on Monday, Nov. 1, according to Fannie Acoff, CORE T.E.A.M. program coordinator and speaker series creator. The presentations will conclude Thursday, Nov. 11.
The presenters will share academic majors, career paths and their experiences in related fields with students to better help them prepare for collegiate academic studies and future careers. All presentations will be held from 11:05-11:55 a.m. at the same Zoom link.
“Over the past few years while working with CHS, we have heard the desire of the students to be introduced to more Black staff and faculty at SIUE,” said Makesha Harris Lee, EdD, CORE T.E.A.M. director.
“This speaker series will introduce students to academic majors and careers they may not have considered prior to attending the speaker series,” added Acoff. “In addition, for the students who are confident about their career choice, this program can provide deeper insight into what it will take for them to be successful in the academic program.”
“I am grateful for this opportunity to have our students exposed to different areas of studies offered by SIUE,” said CHS Interim Assistant Director Pamela Saffore. “This speaker series will open up a world of educational and career choices for them.”
Kicking off the speaker series was Kimberly Carter, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Social Work. “Social workers are poorly understood, and we are greatly undervalued,” she shared. “A lot of people don’t understand all that social workers do. What are some of the myths? All social workers work in child welfare or public welfare, therapy mental health or case management or with children and families. Some of us do. A lot of us don’t.
“The idea that social workers don’t make good money is a big myth. It’s all about the choices you make. There are so many career prospects to choose from as a social worker. One can work in the fields of healthcare, public welfare, community organizations, education, environmental science, criminal justice, economic development, fashion design, art and music therapy, social media, corporate settings, engineering and more!”
Carter also shared some issues and concerns social workers deal with such as food sustainability, land rights management, economic stability, housing insecurity, criminal justice and policy development.
Remaining sessions and presenters are as follows:
- Tuesday, Nov. 2
Musonda Kapatamoyo, PhD
Chair and professor
College of Arts and Sciences’ (CAS) Department of Mass Communications
- Wednesday, Nov. 3
T.J. Riggs, MS
Academic Advisor
School of Education, Health and Human Behavior (SEHHB) Department of Applied Health
- Thursday, Nov. 4
Jerrica Ampadu, PhD, RN, CCP
Director of WE CARE Clinic
School of Nursing (SON)
- Friday, Nov. 5
Phyleccia Reed Cole, JD
Senior Associate General Counsel
SIUE
- Monday, Nov. 8
Loen Graceson-Martin
Director, Student Services
School of Engineering (SOE)
- Tuesday, Nov. 9
Florence Chears-Lawrence
Cahokia Center Coordinator
SIUE Head Start/Early Head Start
- Wednesday, Nov. 10
LaVontas Hairston
Assistant Director of Benefits, Payroll and HRIS
Department of Human Resources
- Thursday, Nov. 11
Patricia Merritt
Assistant Director for Media and Community Relations
SIUE East St. Louis Center
“With continued exposure to our academic programs, faculty and staff, we hope to increase the number of CHS students applying to SIUE,” said Acoff.
The Pre-Collegiate Program is also operating a speaker series for any high school student from 3:30-4:15 p.m. Nov. 1-10. Speakers in this series include Ampadu, Graceson-Martin, Angel Jones, PhD, critical race scholar and visiting assistant professor in the SEHHB’s Department of Teaching and Learning; Brandi Blackburn, CAS senior academic advisor; Brittany Peterson, PhD, assistant professor in CAS’ Department of Biological Sciences; Maracus Scott, IT technical associate; Danie Dobrinich Johns, SEHHB academic advisor; and Jessica DeSpain, PhD, professor in the Department of English Language and Literature and co-director of the SIUE Interdisciplinary Research and Informatics (IRIS) Center.
Advanced registration is required. For more information, contact Acoff at facoff@siue.edu.
The Pre-Collegiate Program and the Summer Success Program (SSP) are part of the SIUE CORE T.E.A.M. Department. The Pre-Collegiate Program is a college preparatory program designed to assist high school students in their transition to post-secondary education upon high school graduation. This program works with first-generation and low-income students providing comprehensive college preparatory and social development skills. These skills play a crucial role in helping students excel both academically and personally in their respective high schools and prepare them to transition successfully to the college or university of their choice. SSP is a five-week program allowing students to take up to two college courses for free and involves a full range of social, cultural and recreational activities. Applications for SSP are now open.
Photos:
(L-R) Kim Carter, PhD, associate professor in CAS’ Department of Social Work; Musonda Kapatamoyo, PhD, chair and professor in CAS’ Department of Mass Communications; and T.J. Riggs, academic advisor in SEHHB’s Department of Applied Health.
(L-R): Jerrica Ampadu, PhD, RN, CCP, and director of SON’s WE CARE Clinic; Phyleccia Reed Cole, JD, senior associate general counsel; and Loen Graceson-Martin, Student Services director in SOE.
(L-R): Florence Chears-Lawrence, Cahokia Center Coordinator, SIUE Head Start/Early Head Start; LaVontas Hairston, assistant director of Benefits, Payroll and HRIS in the Department of Human Resources; and Patricia Merritt, assistant director for media and community relations at the SIUE East St. Louis Center.
