Woods Cross » Whether they are planning to become hair stylists, fighter pilots or organic chemists, an evening event at Woods Cross High School last week helped students step onto their intended career path.
Want to become a massage therapist? No problem. Just visit the folks at the Renaissance School of Therapeutic Massage booth. Not your thing? There were also representatives from BYU, Marinello Schools of Beauty, College of Eastern Utah, Davis Applied Technology College, the military, and even Harvard University.
Senior Austin Beauregard didn't spend much time wandering around. He knows exactly where he's going to college.
Wearing a red Utah Utes hoodie, Beauregard --- his parents in tow -- approached the University of Utah booth, where he inquired about scholarships.
"We just came to help him get going," said Teresa Beauregard, Austin's mother and first-time parent of a college student. "He knows he wants to go to the U., so we just wanted to make sure everything's on line to get him through the next transition."
Woods Cross High hosts the Post-High School Planning Night each fall for students and their parents from the southern end of Davis County. Parents and students had their questions answered about admissions, scholarships, housing and everything else college-related.
November is crunch time for seniors, says Wendy Nelson, Woods Cross assistant principal.
"A lot of scholarships and college applications are due at the beginning of December or just before Christmas," she said. "This is also a good night for juniors, [for] anybody really. Any grade level can start getting information about their future."
In addition to a long line of informational booths -- some more popular than others -- students were able to attend breakout sessions, where they learned about concurrent enrollment, scholarships and opportunities for ethnic minorities.
John Yoon, a Harvard Alumni Association of Utah member, had a unique way of drawing prospective students to his booth.
"Anybody have $53,000?" he called out.
Yoon spent the evening inspiring students to look beyond local schools.
"People think, 'Well, I'm never going to get in [to Harvard]," Yoon said. "Let me tell you, I've been interviewing kids for 16 years. Nobody ever thinks they're going to get in. If you don't apply, you're never going to get in."
Yoon says Harvard is looking for Harry Potters, not Hermione Grangers. The Cambridge, Mass., school regularly rejects students with 4.0s and perfect test scores, but defeating Voldemort -- that's something special.
Future nurse Natalie Brown listened to Yoon's spiel on applying to long-shot schools.
"I'm going to apply to, like, every college I want to go to," said Natalie, who brought mother Janet. "You never know if you're going to get in."
Woods Cross High careers and scholarships specialist LeeAnn Clevely explained why parents were encouraged to attend.
"Because the kids go home, and the parents say, 'Well, what did you learn about this?' and the kid says 'I don't know,'" Cleverly said. "We want parents to have the info firsthand. Parents are the ones that are encouraging their kids, and paying [their tuition]."
For some students, the event was a wake-up call.
"This definitely brought it home that I'm going to be out there in, like, two years; this helps me get ready for it," said Woods Cross junior and future journalist Emily Kime, carrying a huge stack of brochures. "I have a better idea of what I should be going for, when I should be getting stuff ready, like ACT-wise."
Which was exactly the reaction Cleverly, who planned the event, was hoping for.
"We don't want kids thinking high school is the end," Cleverly said. "They always have to have more education or training so that they can have a career for themselves. ... There's a thing I've heard that some people spend more time planning their vacation than their vocation."
