Bottom Line students were able to put their skills on display and receive career and interview advice at the second annual Go Far Forum on Jan. 7. The Go Far Forum allowed students to participate in workshops, mock interviews and meet key influencers so they can stay connected to workforce development and create clear college and career pathways.
“Bottom Line is a college access and success organization, which means we work with students, helping them get into college, and then once they are in college, we work with them throughout their entire time, providing support until they receive their bachelor’s degree,” stated New York Executive Director Ruth Genn.
“One of the four areas that we support our students around is employability and career readiness. A big key to that is making sure our students are exposed to a variety of careers and that they end college with a network of working professionals, so our Go Far Forum is our signature career event,” added Genn.
Students were able to sit with volunteers from companies such as Goldman Sachs, Capital One, Pinterest, Google, Warby Parker, Alcoa, PIMCO, CVS Health, Viacom and Barclays, which provided one-on-one mock interview support and career advice. Over 110 students and 80 volunteers were in attendance.
“It was an opportunity for them to improve their professional communications,” added Genn. “A big part of the night was the mock interviews. We had volunteers sitting down one-on-one with our students and taking them through a mock interview and providing them with immediate feedback on their responses and their professionalism. It’s really an opportunity for kids to make connections, to practice their professional skills and hopefully to network around real internship and job opportunities as well.”
Student feedback emphasized the importance of two components of the event—actionable feedback from students’ interviewers and access to a network of professionals who students can turn to for career advice in the future.
“This was an awesome opportunity for the students to develop their professional and networking skills,” stated Bottom Line student Shaquille Bent, 22, who has attended the event for the last two years. “You get to meet different professionals from different industries, and they give you some background knowledge on their career path and what they do on a day-to-day basis.”
“I think that it is very informative and helpful to the students because it gives you some insight on if you want to follow this career path and how you can get your feet wet in the industry. The professionals also help you to obtain an internship if you are interested. It helps you boost your confidence, and I think that’s something students really need, and I think that’s something the Go Far Forum really helped me out a lot in as well.”
Bent has been a part of Bottom Line since he graduated high school in 2011. He graduated in December from SUNY Buffalo with his Bachelors of Science in industrial technology.
“Bottom Line was a blessing in disguise for me because initially I wasn’t going to take this opportunity,” added Bent. “Coming out of high school, I was a bit stubborn and I was also a shy individual. I didn’t really want to be out there and experience those things, but I am glad I became a part of it because I don’t see it only as a mentoring program, I see Bottom Line as a family.
“They were there for me and helped me out. In college, your teachers are not always on your back. My mentor made sure I was getting my work done, getting my FAFSA submitted on time, and when I wanted to transfer schools, my mentor played a big role in that. Bottom Line helped me secure two internships, so I would say it is a great opportunity and the change of a lifetime.”
Bottom Line supports low-income, first-generation students and offers resources for students to get into college, graduate and go far in life. Bottom Line is currently serving more than 350 high school students in the midst of the college application process and 1,246 students as they work toward their college degrees.
“Our motto is really centered on the idea of one-on-one relationships between our counselors and our students,” stated Genn. “We have a team of full-time trained counselors who work with those students throughout their senior year of high school providing the nuts and bolts of the entire college application process—applications, essays, financial aid and decision making. We have a big focus on making sure our student make a strong match.
“Once students are in college, we have a set of what we call ‘target colleges,’ and here in New York, we have 18 target colleges. Most of them are larger schools, places where a lot of our students are attending and could use some extra support in order to successfully complete college. We have full-time counselors who work with those students one-on-one, face-to-face, coaching them around whatever problem that might come up along the way towards the path of graduation.”
Genn added, “The recruitment process for students across the city to become a part of the Bottom Line program is now underway. Last year we had 1,600 applications for 300 slots. We will actually be going out to high schools and presenting to juniors, and then they can apply to the program online. This year we are going to have about 415 slots.”To learn more about Bottom Line, visit www.bottomline.org.
