College and careers take center stage

Last Thursday night, the Sewanhaka Central High School District helped students put their best foot forward into the future, at the district's annual college and career night.

The event, designed to help older students start — or finish — their college or post-high school career searches, was deemed a huge success by district officials.

"Some of our kids don't get a chance to go visit schools, and with this district program, thousands of kids were able to walk up and down the aisles, pick up literature, and make contact with people, so we feel very good about accomplishing our goals," said Regina Agrusa, the district's director of pupil personnel services.

"Our objective was to provide a program to introduce them to their options and really share these resources."

For several hours on Thursday night, students from the tenth, eleventh and twelfth grades roamed the gymnasium and halls at New Hyde Park High School, looking for the college or career that might be the right path for them.

It's a difficult and long search, and the district sponsors the event so students don't have to tackle everything themselves.

"It's a wonderful program and a resource to our students and our parents," Agrusa said. "It's the first opportunity for a lot of these kids to be introduced to the college application process."

For some, it's also an opportunity to let another message sink in: college or no, everyone needs a plan for the future.

"We had an entire section dedicated to careers, and some of the local technical colleges," Agrusa added. "Sometimes, the trick is with seniors, introducing the idea that 'Oh my goodness, it's right here, the time to make a plan is now.'"

Ultimately, she said, the goal of the night is to show parents and students alike that they have options.

Agrusa also said that as the economy has struggled, many applications that would otherwise go to more expensive private institutions are being sent to public colleges that are closer to home.

"From what I have seen, the landscape has definitely changed," she said. "More and more families apply to public schools — our SUNY system has been bombarded with applications. ... I haven't seen a significant increase in college applications, we might see that, but I'm seeing more of the attitude 'I'm going to use SUNY or Nassau Community for two years.'"