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Stressed about choosing a career path? Join the club, says White Plains resident, Keyla Garcia.
Thats just what this student at Westchester Community College did when she started there two and a half years ago. Garcia says time spent as an orientation leader, peer advisor and vice president of the Student Government Association have helped shape her post-graduate ambitions. She now plans to become an elementary school teacher or counselor.
I personally think its very important to get involved because you get to know people and get to know the experience. If you like accounting but you arent sure, join the Accounting Club.
As the vice president of the Student Government Association, Garcia works directly with the college president on school-related issues. It is also her job to keep her fellow students filled in on campus changes and events. For her latest project, she plans to meet with the student body to discuss the school-wide ban on tobacco instituted in January.
Some students are not truly aware what this policy will mean for them, she said. They should be educated on the policy that was already implemented and what some of the changes are going to be.
Garcia understands what its like to feel unsure about the future, though. After graduating from White Plains High School in 2009, she says she was accepted at a handful of four-year colleges but decided to stay local to pinpoint her interests.
I really like helping people, she said. I really like what my advisors do and want to do the same at a college level. Being a teacher, youre giving back to the community.
She was also part of the Westchester Events Board team that was granted the 2011 Excellence in Programming Award by the National Association of Campus Activities at its Northeast Conference. She is the club's vice president of finance, for which she divvies out funding for school events.
Upon graduating this May, Garcia plans to head to Mercy College to further her education.
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