Students take the next step at EF Academy New York
On November 24th, EF Academy New York hosted an exclusive “Taking the Next Step” seminar for the senior (Grade 12) students. The event was organized by the EF Academy Alumni Association with help from Oscar Jimenez, the Head of the World Languages faculty.
The seminar started with a Q&A session with EF Academy alumni. Four EF Academy New York graduates were invited to share their stories and best advice with current students. The special guests were:
- Ewa Staworzynska (class of 2012) from Norway, currently studying Economics at New York University
- Lena Evseeva (class of 2014) from Russia, currently studying Public Health at Temple University
- Patrick Pum Chantraparnik (class of 2014) from Thailand, currently studying Psychology and Pre-Medicine at New York University
- Vera Kudryavtseva (class of 2013) from Russia, currently studying Communication and Media Arts at Marymount Manhattan College
Current students in the audience asked the alumni a range of questions including “What can I expect on my first day at university?” and “What are the dormitories like at NYU?” Adetoun Adeyemi, an IB Year 2 student, said she appreciated Ewa’s advice: “Find the university that is the best fit for you, don’t just focus on the university that looks the best on paper.” This is something she said she will remember as she applies to university and eventually accepts an offer.
After the Q&A session, the students mingled with the alumni and had the opportunity to ask more specific questions.
The “Taking the Next Step” seminar culminated in a LinkedIn workshop led by Jenny Zeng, EF Academy’s Global Manager of Alumni & Ambassadors. The purpose of the workshop was to give the seniors a head start in their future careers by teaching them how to use the world’s biggest professional social media platform, which boasts over 350 million users. Many of the attending students successfully set up their own LinkedIn profiles and joined the EF Academy Alumni network.
“The main thing I learned at the workshop was how important LinkedIn is for my college application and resume. This motivated me to create my own profile,” said Mehran Amini, another IB Year 2 student.
The aim of the seminar was to inspire current students to think about their lives beyond EF Academy and to encourage them to start building their professional network before they continue their education at university or start their career.
After an exciting afternoon at Thornwood, Oscar Jimenez and the alumni were taken on a trip down memory lane when visiting their old EF Academy campus in Tarrytown and grabbing a coffee at the Coffee Lab where they had spent many afternoons as EF Academy students. The evening ended with a dinner at the Spice Market in Manhattan, where they continued reminiscing on the good times that were had during their high school years.
EF Academy’s schools in Oxford and Torbay will host the “Taking the Next Step” seminar and Q&A sessions with their own alumni in January 2016.