DMAE held its annual College Kick Off from September 17-21, 2018. Through this program, students learned more about possible plans for their future after high school.

The week-long event was coordinated by the school’s Guidance Department and Kate Drumgoole, lead counselor. According to Ms. Drumgoole, the main purpose of holding the college kick-off week was to “expose students to secondary choices,” and added “we want all students to have a goal for after they graduate high school.”

Each day, students who participated in the event learned about two-year or four-year schools, as well as career schools and military branches — all potential paths they can take following graduation. Schools that participated in these sessions included American International College, the University of Bridgeport, Felician University, Bloomfield College, University of Bridgeport, Caldwell University, University of Hartford, Monroe College, MCPHS, Montclair, and many more.

The information sessions in the Common Area were smaller than would be typical at a college and allowed representatives from these colleges to elaborate about the programs they offer  directly to students. Likewise, students were able to asks more questions and learned valuable information about college visits.

The college kick-off week also held SAT/ACT and NCAA workshops for students who needed advice or tutoring assistance to prepare for them.

DMAE students enjoy this annual opportunity to know more about honorable colleges.

“I think the college fair is a really good idea. It definitely helped me think about my options for college. We tend to only think about top schools when considering higher education, but it’s important to remember that lots of other schools with great programs exist,” junior Brianny Alvarenga pointed out.

Ms. Drumgoole hopes to keep this DMAE tradition up and running, continuing to allow students to learn about and establish personal goals for after high school.