PA State GEAR UP College Speaker Forum

Dates/Time:
October 19, 2005

Details:
Wataru Nishida, admissions recruiter at Harrisburg Area Community College, visited Harrisburg School District’s SciTech High on October 19, 2005, as a participant in the PA State GEAR UP College Speaker Forum. Nishida shared information about financial aid and college entrance requirements for admission to the community college with students.

Wataru Nishida came to this country in 1991 and began his postsecondary education with an associate’s degree from HACC. He received his master’s degree in mental health counseling from Penn State in 2000, and has since worked in the counseling profession. He attributes his achievements, in part, to the help and support of caring mentors. His present position at HACC affords him the opportunity to help students transition from high school into the college environment. “For me, it is about completing a circle, the circle of receiving and giving,” says Nishida.

Nishida and his audience of seventeen 9th graders participated in an activity during which students were instructed to prevent an egg from breaking when it is dropped. Students, assigned to small teams, worked with only the egg, 10 straws and a roll of tape, and each had five minutes to finish the assignment. The last instruction ensured a team effort: each student could use only his or her left hand to complete the task. All teams were successful!

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