BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Some Health Sciences Charter School seniors like Isaiah Jean-Pierre, know exactly what they’re doing after high school.
“I’m going to college in the fall to play football,” Jean-Pierre said.
But for others, graduation comes with a lot of uncertainty. Teacher, Nia Badger, said many seniors missed the deadline to apply to colleges because of remote learning.
“COVID took us out for a bit, but we are bouncing back,” Badger said. “We know college isn’t for everybody. When I was talking to a bunch of seniors, they said` 'you know what, I’m not really interested in college, but I am interested in a trade.’”
That’s why the Charter School hosted a mandatory “College and Career Focus Day” for all 94 seniors.
“If someone hadn’t applied to college, they applied today,” Badger said. “If they were thinking about trade or thinking about going into mechatronics or engineering and they didn’t know how to start or who to talk to. They met them there today.”
By the end of the day, every student had to apply to at least one college or trade school.
A recent survey by BigRentz found that 33 percent of Americans think trade school is a better option than college during the pandemic.
“I learned that we don’t always have to go to college,” Jean-Pierre said. “There are other things we can do that help us. If we want to start a job out of high school, we can go join a trade or a union to help us.”
