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Offices of Alumni & College Counseling Organize Inaugural College Panel for Juniors

by Jamie Bryant, Director of Strategic Marketing & Communications
 
While our seniors are trying to make decisions about where they will land next year, our CCES juniors are just beginning their journey.  Whether they are interested in applying to schools near or far, small or large, they are also weighing what they want out of their college experience.  For some of our juniors, the path from high school to college to post-grad is clear— they have wanted to be a doctor since they got their first Band-Aid— but for many, this process can be confusing and sometimes daunting.  
 
Bartley Sides, Associate Director of College Counseling, and Bibby Sierra, Director of Alumni Relations, put their heads together and created a unique opportunity for current CCES juniors to learn from CCES alumni who recently graduated from college or university.  “Rather than focusing on careers,” said Ms. Sierra, “we wanted them to talk about the sometimes windy path to and through college— what they learned along the way and how they arrived where they are today.” 
 
On Tuesday, April 20, CCES juniors had the privilege of hearing CCES alumni discuss their college to career paths.  They were able to ask questions and get real life advice from these former students.
“We are hoping that this nuts-and-bolts approach will calm some nerves and give students permission to be open to paths they may not have considered,” said Mr. Sides.                           . 
 
Students selected from the following sessions:
 
Henry Cornelson CCES '14; Wofford '18;
Employed full-time at investment advisory firm in Charlotte
Maggie Hamberis CCES '15; Univ of South Carolina '19;
Graduating law school and will be clerking for circuit court judge
Caroline Davis CCES '15; Univ of South Carolina '19;
Employed full-time with software company
Sarah Robinson CCES '15; Vanderbilt '19;
Research Assistant - White House, Council of Economic Advisers
Van Boyett CCES '15; Wake Forest '19;
Commercial Real Estate Developer in Charlotte
Nathaniel DeSantis CCES '15; Furman '19;
Founder of Digital Media Company in Greenville
Joshua Jackson CCES '16; Clemson '21;
Pursuing a Masters in Teaching
Zoë Rogers CCES '16; Wake Forest '20;
Employed full-time with digital marketing firm in Charlotte
McKoy Crawford CCES '16; Indiana University '20;
Public Relations Director in Charlotte
 
The alumni shared wide varieties of experiences.  Some of the topics discussed were; whether or not they knew what they wanted to do when they were juniors or knew what college/university they wanted to attend, if they ever had to shift gears, change majors, or transfer to another school, what experiences in college changed or shaped their paths, and what experiences at CCES helped them to where they are now.
 
Sarah Robinson ’15 advised her student group, “don’t be afraid to fail.  When you are pushing yourself, failure is inevitable and that’s okay, because you’re learning form it.”  
 
The knowledge gained from these young alumni was without a doubt beneficial, and using what was learned and applying it to their own college search will hopefully lead our juniors down a more prolific path to college.
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    • Sarah Robinson CCES '15; Vanderbilt '19

    • Joshua Jackson CCES '16; Clemson '21

    • Caroline Davis CCES '15; Univ of South Carolina '19

    • McKoy Crawford CCES '16; Indiana University '20

    • Maggie Hamberis CCES '15; Univ of South Carolina '19

Christ Church Episcopal School (“CCES”) admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at CCES. CCES does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, national or ethnic origin, creed, religion, or sexual orientation in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, financial aid, scholarship or other programs, or athletic or other school-administered programs and activities.