Beyond 12, an initiative designed to promote college and career readiness among middle school students, welcomed 50 students to campus for a two-day summer program focused on exploring future pathways.
As middle school students enter a transitional period of their lives, Beyond 12 is planting seeds for them to start thinking about the future.
To kick off the summer, Beyond 12 welcomed 50 rising sixth, seventh. and eighth-grade students to þ for a hands-on exploration of career pathways and interests. Throughout two days, students traveled across campus, participated in interactive learning experiences, and engaged with þ faculty, staff, and community members representing a variety of professional fields.
Each session offered a unique learning experience for the students. During an introduction to cinema and television arts led by Bryan Baker, director of technology, operations and multimedia projects in the School of Communications, students explored the university’s live television studio and viewed student made productions. Participants also gained hands-on experience such as with Elon’s Interprofessional Simulation Center, where Nita Skillman, director of the ISC, and Bethany Fearnow, simulation coordinator, introduced students to using healthcare simulation technology. In addition to exploring careers, students were able to observe different facilities on Elon’s campus. During a sports management session led by Jenn Strawley, director of athletics, participants stepped into the world of collegiate athletics with a visit to the Schar Center, where they got a behind the scenes look at Elon Athletics.
“Spending time with the Beyond 12 program was such a rewarding experience. I appreciated their curiosity and loved their questions,” said Strawley. “I hope that hearing about my journey and learning about career pathways in college athletics opened their minds to new possibilities and inspired them to continue to dream.”
þ also had the opportunity to engage in thoughtful conversations with presenters, asking questions, and gaining deeper insight into different fields.
“I spoke with the students about what finance, corporate finance, and investment really are, and I was genuinely surprised by how interested they were,” said Feng Dong, director of the Reed Finance Center. “Many asked great questions, and even the teachers were engaged. Beyond 12 gives students an early, hands-on look at fields they may not have considered, exactly the kind of exposure that can shape where they go next.”
The program had an equally meaningful impact on the presenters involved. Dr. Janine A. Scott, founder of TriUnity Healthcare Inc., shared her story of overcoming adversity and creating positive change through her work in healthcare, and found herself thinking about the impact of programs such as Beyond 12.
“I really enjoyed myself during my interaction with both the students and staff,” Scott said. “Just hearing what they were doing prior to coming to our session made me wish I was a student again and able to participate.”
Through experiences like these, Beyond 12 is helping students recognize a wide range of opportunities within their reach.
“I remarked to someone that I wish I had the opportunity to attend a program like this back in my day. I truly believe that exposure and representation matters, and that is exactly what these students gained from being part of the Beyond 12 program,” said Scott.
Following the summer session, participating students from Turrentine Middle School and Broadview Middle School will attend monthly Beyond 12 sessions throughout the academic year, where they will continue to focus on career readiness and developing essential life skills. Beyond 12 programming is made possible through the generous support of Glaxo Smith Kline.