SJC Brooklyn’s Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM) hosted about 70 students from the High School for Enterprise, Business and Technology (EBT) for the high school’s “Sophomore Student Conference” on April 25.
The event is designed to familiarize students with a professional conference setting and teach them the skills they need to secure a summer internship.
“Higher education is what you make of it, and we at SJC welcome the chance to collaborate with our neighbors to provide local students with the opportunities they need to thrive in college and in their careers,” said Damien Duchamp, Ed.D., department head of HTM at SJC Brooklyn. “Our doors are always open to the fantastic learners at EBT as they make their way to their professions of choice.”
Students from the Williamsburg high school cycled through three workshops that taught them the skills they needed to successfully prepare a résumé and cover letter, and speak publicly in both group and individual settings, with the end goal of securing an internship for the summer break. To guide this search, an additional workshop was held with eight professional mentors who counseled the students on their interests and preferences, so that they make an informed decision about what fields to pursue.
After these sessions, SJC Brooklyn admissions personnel advised the students about the college application process and former New York Times reporter and Lola Oguinnaike, host of “Arise 360” on BET, presented the keynote address to the students. Following this, awards and certificates were given to the participating students.
“Today’s event was designed to expose our students to a professional conference and provide them with the tools they need to speak publicly, apply for an internship, and earn the credentials they need for a career and technical education (CTE) diploma when they graduate,” said Sanford Hirsch, Academy of Hospitality and Tourism coordinator, EBT. “Many thanks to SJC and Dr. Duchamp for their ongoing support of our efforts to prepare our students for professional and academic success.”
