Providing a Professional Education:

Preparing Scholars for the Workforce

Presented by: The Oliver Scholars Program

Lena Chao

Daniel Lobo

Jeanna Murat

Emanuel Vega

Let’s break the ice!

• Name?

• Where are you from?

• What organization are you with?

• Why are you at this workshop?

• What’s your favorite Michael Jackson song?

“The Oliver Scholars Program recruits extraordinary

African-American and Latino middle school students

from New York City and prepares them for success

at top independent high schools and colleges. This is

accomplished through continued support and an

emphasis on Oliver’s core tenets of Scholarship,

Leadership and Service.”

What is the Oliver Scholars Program?

Why focus on workforce prep?

Oliver’s unique approach

Independent school prep

College readiness at Oliver

Career education program

Challenges and triumphs

Agenda

Why focus on workforce prep?

Research shows that diverse teams, when in

harmony, are better teams.

Richard, O. C. (2000). Racial diversity, business

strategy, and firm performance: A resource-based

view. Academy of management journal, 43(2),

164-177.

Desvaux, G., Devillard, S., & Sancier-Sultan, S.

(2010). Women at the top of corporations:

Making it happen. McKinsey & Company.

Woolley, A. W., Chabris, C. F., Pentland, A.,

Hashmi, N., & Malone, T. W. (2010). Evidence

for a collective intelligence factor in the

performance of human

groups. science, 330(6004), 686-688.

However, workforce diversity remains a

challenge across sectors and industries.

*Source: Center for American Progress: The State of Diversity in Today’s Workforce (2012).

Unfortunately, there are few solutions

addressing the lack of workforce diversity.

Why focus on workforce prep?

Oliver’s unique approach

Independent school prep

College readiness at Oliver

Career education program

Challenges and triumphs

Agenda

Our career education program is aligned

with Oliver’s holistic counseling approach.

Independent

school

College Prep

Career Prep

Life

Prep

Curriculum Framework:

1. Career Exploration

2. Career skill building

3. Career skill application

Why focus on workforce prep?

Oliver’s unique approach

Independent school prep

College readiness at Oliver

Career education program

Challenges and triumphs

Agenda

Prior to matriculating into independent

school, “pre-scholars” receive a variety of

supports.

Independent School

Application Process

Interview Skills

Personal Branding

Leadership Development

Professional Speakers

Spring Math and English

classes

Standardized Test Prep

Counseling/Support

Financial aid workshop for

parents

Why focus on workforce prep?

Oliver’s unique approach

Independent school prep

College readiness at Oliver

Career education program

Challenges and triumphs

Agenda

What does it mean to be College

Ready?

According to the Achieve American Diplomatic Project Network, college readiness

“means that that a high school graduate has the English and mathematics

knowledge and skills necessary to qualify for and success in entry level, credit-

bearing college courses without the need for remedial work.”

Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC) defines college readiness as having

“key cognitive strategies that include analysis, interpretations, precision and

accuracy, problem solving and reasoning…Similarly important are the attitudes

and behavioral attributes that students who succeed in college must demonstrate.

Among these are student skills, time management, awareness of one’s

performance, persistence, and the ability to utilize study groups.”

College Prep

What does it mean to be College

Ready at Oliver?

COLLEGE READY

Scholarship

Leadership

Service

Underclassmen begin building soft

skills for college readiness.

From 9th-10th grade, scholars: Learn to create relationships with

faculty on campus

Learn to advocate themselves and

others

Participate in internships and summer

opportunities

Receive additional academic support

(SIP III)

Participate in college tours beginning

in 10th grade

Upperclassmen build upon these skills

while preparing for the college process.

From 11th- 12th grade, scholars: Participate in two-day College Seminar

hosted by Morgan Stanley

Attend a two-week college tour

Receive SAT and ACT preparation

Attend financial aid workshops

Engage with professionals during a

Career Day hosted by Barclays

Explore potential career paths through

Tuesday Talks

Why focus on workforce prep?

Oliver’s unique approach

Independent school prep

College readiness at Oliver

Career education program

Challenges and triumphs

Agenda

Our career education program is aligned

with Oliver’s holistic counseling approach.

Independent

school

College Prep

Career Prep

Life

Prep

Curriculum Framework:

1. Career Exploration

2. Career skill building

3. Career skill application

Career Exploration

Tuesday Talks

Mentor Program

Targeted Outings

Brown Bag Speaker Series

Career Exploration: Tuesday Talks

Harvard Professor and entrepreneur

Greg Gunn Speak with Scholars

Artist Glenn Ligon talks art and

life with Scholars

Angel Morales and Oliver trustee

Keith Canton discuss their path to

successful careers in finance

Career Exploration: Mentor Program

Career Exploration: Outings

Career Skill Building

Mock Interviews hosted by Morgan Stanley

Career Day hosted by Barclays

College Seminar at Morgan Stanley

Summer Brown-Bag Speakers

Summer Electives (Finance, Writing)

Summer Service Project

Create Your Own Nonprofit Project

Career Skill Application

Curriculum in Action: Elevator

Pitches!

Why focus on workforce prep?

Oliver’s unique approach

Independent school prep

College readiness at Oliver

Career education program

Challenges and triumphs

Agenda

Since implementing the curriculum, we

have encountered some challenges.

Data

Collection

Brand

Recognition

Attendance

Conflicts

Lack of

Resources

Mentor

Diversity

Measuring

Impact

Success Stories

George School ‘86

Columbia University‘90

President and CEO of United Way of New York City

St. Paul’s School ‘99

Morehouse College ‘03

Columbia University ‘12 - MD/PHD

Pediatric Surgeon

CEO of Righteous Minds Consulting

Dr. Kareem RobertsMs. Sheena Wright

Thank you!

Burns, C., Barton, K., & Kirby, S. (2012). The state of diversity in today’s workforce. Labor

and Work. July 2012. https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-

content/uploads/issues/2012/07/pdf/diversity_brief.pdf

Desvaux, G., Devillard, S., & Sancier-Sultan, S. (2010). Women at the top of corporations:

Making it happen. McKinsey & Company.

Richard, O. C. (2000). Racial diversity, business strategy, and firm performance: A resource-

based view. Academy of management journal, 43(2), 164-177.

Woolley, A. W., Chabris, C. F., Pentland, A., Hashmi, N., & Malone, T. W. (2010). Evidence

for a collective intelligence factor in the performance of human groups. science, 330(6004),

686-688.

Sources