On June 15, College Possible Philadelphia hosted Launch! 2019, an annual end-of-year student celebration for high school juniors and seniors at the Howard Gittis Student Center on Temple University’s campus. Launch! 2019 kicked off with a program featuring remarks from College Possible high school coaches, swag give-a-ways donated from colleges and universities across the country, and prizes awarded to students for best attendance, biggest SAT score increase and most scholarships applied to.
The highlight of the program came when Toastmasters International finalist and Philadelphia native, Aaron Beverly, took the stage for the keynote address. Veering from a traditional speech, Beverly opted to engage students in an interactive session aimed at helping students practice their networking skills and encouraging students to find their voices as they transition to their next steps in life. During the session, Beverly noted to students, “When people think about public speaking, they take it way too seriously sometimes. They think about networking, and they take it way too seriously sometimes. Have fun, network, speak up and your future will be extremely bright.” The message was well received and the energy was palpable as students networked with each other throughout the room.
Following the program, juniors embarked on a scavenger hunt around Temple University’s campus and seniors participated in a senior symposium, led by regional experts in the areas of social and academic life, navigating predominantly white institutions (PWI’s), networking and career pathways.
Executive Director Jen Weikert closed out the program by sharing important advice with students. “You need to take advantage of every opportunity you have on campus. You need to take care of yourself and do things that will continue to keep you healthy. You need to rely on your support system and you’ll always have College Possible to turn to.”
By Ian Reitz
