Youth Symposium on July 16, 2011

Notes by Secrectary Andrea Flemings:
Hey Robotics team!! I am sure you all are busy with your different activities and of course the grueling summer work; nevertheless, I hope you are enjoying you summer.

As you may know the Youth Symposium took place July 16, 2011. There was a great panel of speakers. We learned a lot from them and were inspired to strive in order to succeed.

Here’s a quick overview:

It began with Lisa Nutter. Yes, this is Mayor Michael Nutter’s wife. She was explaining to the audience how she has dedicated her life’s work to improving the educational system for today’s youth. She then concluded that everyone has a sad story but we have to find it in ourselves to overcome boundaries.

Susan Van Buren- as an employer, she revealed the secrets of being a good interviewee for job opportunity. The characteristics one should have are as follows: possessing a positive attitude, having effective communication skills (writing and verbally), being innovative, flexible, and dependable. One last thing that is extremely important when attending an interview is having your RESUME.

Erin Coombs- she is a 2011 graduate from Pittsburg University, with a triple major under her belt. She was actively involved in COMTO’s programs for students. Through this organization she received scholarships that got her through her three remaining years of college.

Glenn Dickerson- he is a 2011 graduate from Temple University and is the president of the NSBE chapter. He also was involved in COMTO’s student initiatives and received internship opportunities.

Michael Blake- he was our keynote speaker and had a moving story of which the theme is how his family went from “ no house to the White House.” Throughout his speech detailing his success he continuously referred to this one experience where he acted in such a way that doors willingly opened for him. The moral of “his story” was that success often finds the person who always tries to do everything with excellence and is willing to go above and beyond without any thoughts of gaining glory.