St. Petersburg College Asks Local Students To Apply Themselves

Clearwater FL

08 October, 2021

12:41 PM

Description

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — St. Petersburg College wants to make sure that local high school seniors know their options for higher education. That's why SPC is taking part in the Apply Yourself Florida initiative, which is an effort to increase the number of low-income and first-generation students applying to college. Throughout the months of October and November, the recruitment services team is going into Pinellas and Pasco County high schools to walk students through SPC's application process. As an added bonus, all application fees are waived at these events. "We do this big drive every October," said Jacob Wortock, SPC's director of recruitment services. "We work with the counselors on the school campuses to come in and meet with students." SPC promotes the event in advance, so students can be ready with information needed for their applications. Students who take part can ask questions and be walked through what can be a confusing process for someone who has never navigated it. Once they've applied, Wortock said his team works to keep the students connected with SPC. "We invite them to open house events and to come in for tours or fun events like basketball games, movies on the lawn and more," Wortock said. "We don't just say, 'See you next fall.' We want to keep them connected." Wortock said the annual initiative fulfills the college's visionary commitment to economic mobility, in which the goal is to prepare students for high-wage, high-need careers, which will contribute to their economic success, improve the quality of life within our community, and help to end generational cycles of poverty. "The Apply Yourself events open doors," Wortock said. "We can provide information and get them connected and prepared for college. And once they apply, whether that finish a program, a semester or a class, we can be a resource for them."