CCRC provides resources for juniors and seniors

A new addition has been brought to QSI, the College and Career Resource Center (CCRC). This room was made thanks to Ms. Krysten Malloy, Early College Initiative (ECI) Access Coordinator. Malloy has been helping students transition to college for years now and thought it would be great if the support she has been providing could be extended to reach more students. 

“Our mission is very focused on college but I think it is also important to expose students to different career opportunities as well so they can make more informed post secondary goals for themselves,” said Malloy. 

The CCRC has been a way to support the juniors and seniors in their gradual transition from high school and students have been taking advantage of it. 

Eleventh grader, Luis Lema, finds the CCRC room to be a very quiet study space. “It feels almost like a library,” he said. Lema likes that he’s able to work on his assignments with his peers and ask teachers for help if needed. 

“I’ve been there. I just needed a quiet space. It was nice and I got what I expected.” said eleventh grader, Nicoletta Gianoumis. Emilia O’Brien, also a junior, agreed. “I went there for math and English support. I liked it and it gave me skills to use in the future,” she said.

Ms. Nicole Francipane, a math teacher, spends several periods each week working with students in the CCRC room. Francipane thinks it’s a “great space for students,” especially eleventh and twelfth graders who are preparing for life after high school.

“It’s amazing. Wonderful,” she said. “I wish more kids would come and use the teacher support.”

Malloy has big plans for the CCRC. She is building partnerships with companies so that students can have shadowing and internship opportunities, planning small group workshops, and inviting people from different occupations to come for “career visits” to speak with students about their careers. The first of these career visits was “Lunch with a Lawyer.”

On November 3, lawyer Nicole Murdocca met with 10 students during lunch and talked about what it’s like being a lawyer. Students sat outside with Murdoocca and ate pizza while they listened to her talk and asked her questions. 

John Hopkins, a junior, is not thinking of becoming a lawyer but attended the event anyway.  He enjoyed how Murdocca described her experiences through college and law school and was able to learn more about the legal field and how it works.