WAEF Presents at National Scholarship Providers Conference
Earlier today WAEF’s Assistant Director Xochitl Velazquez and our Scholarship Coordinator Erika Betancourt provided a virtual workshop for participants in the National Scholarships Providers Association (NSPA) annual conference. WAEF was selected to present in the annual conference back in April.
The session, titled More Than Just a Scholarship: Preparing Students to Successfully Enter the Workforce Post-Graduation, chronicles WAEF’s activities to assist students in developing professional networks and career plans while still enrolled in college.
The presentation from Xochitl and Erika stressed the important role of volunteers in student outreach efforts. Annually, nearly 200 volunteers participate with WAEF students in career exploration events, in-person and online workshops, mentoring, and other activities occurring year-round.
We hope to receive a recording of the presentation from NSPA in the coming weeks. If so, we’ll post on our YouTube site.
Past NSPA conferences have been held in sites across the nation. This year’s conference is online and enjoyed its highest number of registrants to date. 865 individuals from the US and Canada participated this week. In addition to keynote presentations, conference attendees selected sessions in tracts that included strategic leadership, race & equity, college access, scholarship administration, and college success. Virtual networking & idea sharing events and an exhibitor hall are also included in the conference.
Representatives from WAEF have participated in the conference annually since 2014. This is the first year the foundation has been selected to present in the conference.
The efforts made through WAEF to encourage student success in college and launching of their careers upon graduation genuinely make a difference. This year, 35 of our 73 graduates landed career jobs prior to graduation and another eight were accepted into grad school. And as we all know, 2020 is a challenging year for employment.
These efforts are accomplished only with donor and volunteer support. We truly appreciate the trust WAEF supporters have in the foundation. Thank you for believing in the tree fruit industry’s charity!
If you would like to make a one time or monthly general support donation to WAEF, please visit www.waef.org/give.
Thank you!
Comment (1)
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