Animo Jefferson students learned what they can do to be prepared for college and what challenges they might face during College and Career Week.

Presenters Jose Galvan and Grecia Calderon were both college graduates while Evelin Galvan is still attending college and is in her third year. They all worked very hard to get where they are today. Jose is now working as an engineer while Calderon is a Pre-K teacher. Evelin is planning to be a public health administrator.

Many middle and high schoolers think college is unnecessary because after high school they could just start working and earn some money but they should keep in mind that continuing your education is way more important because you get better life opportunities.

“First of all you can get an important education and a very hard working job that will pay off. Secondly you get to study whatever you want,” said graduate Grecia.

Jose knew that in order to be successful he needed to get into college not only for him but also for his mom who didn’t go to college and finish her education because she needed to work to support her mother.

“I started thinking about college since I got into high school. Not a lot but enough to know that i wanted to go to college,’’ said Jose.

Once in high school, students need to take their education very seriously and need to think about how this could affect them in any way possible.

“In a negative way, if you do bad in high school or don’t care, you won’t be able to get into a good college of choice,” said Jose. High school can affect you in positive ways because it can help you  learn what you want to study in college and what career you want to achieve later on in life.

College demands more from you because you only get one opportunity to do assignments and take tests and quizzes.

“A student must study a lot in order to be prepared. In order to pass a class one must be prepared to study about 3-4 times a week and get all assignments done and make sure to not procrastinate,’’ said Evelin.

College is very different from middle and high and  school. No one is going to hold your hand because you are on your own and need to know the difference between good and bad.

“In college there are no parent conferences. You are an adult and you have to make sure everything in school gets done. College is the real world,’’ said Jose.

There are many challenges students face when entering college but those challenges shouldn’t mean to give up that easily.

“Professors expect more from you. Not just an assignments with basic wording and a five paragraph essay,” explained Evelin.

These things shouldn’t scare you away they should motivate you to work even harder.

“College is hard but if you remember what you’re there for and what your goals are you will have motivation to push through the difficult times,’’ explained Grecia.

After all if you really think about it college will really affect you in a very positive way and even though it is hard forget about the past and focus on your way to college.

“It doesn’t matter what you did in middle school now is the time to get serious about your work and show that you are a hard working student ready for college,” explained Grecia.