Photo courtesy of Kim Van Deusen
by Sydney Cazier
Content Writing Intern
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If you are a high school student, what’s the most important decision you’ll make for your future? Is it choosing an environment where you can stand out? Is it picking a path on which lies a happy career? Or is it curating a network of like-minded young people? For some high schoolers, it’s choosing a university and figuring out how to get into their school of choice.
These are only a few of the questions racing through the mind of someone who’s just starting out. In reality, there is no definitive fix for professional growth. Each occupation, industry, and organization will vary drastically from one another. So why bother with education, networking, and industry-specific technical knowledge in the first place? What difference do all of these seemingly extra steps in the right direction really make? The answer is simple: they’re resources.
Access to reliable resources is a critical part of development, whether you’re navigating the college application process or climbing the career ladder. Finding resources to develop soft and hard skills, exercise self-discipline, and maintain valuable connections can make all the difference in the race to secure a future. While it can be difficult, knowing where to start in looking for these resources, or even knowing that they exist, can be invaluable.
Asian Student Achievement (ASA) specializes in providing these resources to young, developing professionals and is therefore constantly looking for new opportunities to share. ASA has given its interns opportunities to attend educational seminars and brief courses designed to provide professional training — short, valuable peeks into the tricks of the experts.
Two of ASA’s past interns had the chance to attend one of these seminars. Former Graphic Design Intern Parker Ninesling and former Operations Intern Ava Anota attended a professional development seminar hosted by the College of William and Mary’s (W&M) Kim Van Deusen. Drawing on her firsthand experience in college admissions, Van Deusen brought a unique, practical perspective to the room — one shaped by years of reviewing applications, meeting students, and understanding exactly what colleges look for on the other side of the process. W&M, located in Williamsburg, Virginia, has been a cornerstone of academic resources and new opportunities since its founding in 1693. As a W&M representative, Van Deusen plays a significant role in making those resources available and helping prospective students understand what admissions offices actually want to see. These seminars are a simple but effective option for young students like Ava and Parker.
Both Ava and Parker are high school students preparing for college and the stresses of higher education. Van Deusen’s seminar offered both of them valuable advice that better sets them up for success in their future educational endeavors.
When asked how helpful the seminar was, Ava and Parker said the session gave them support and encouragement, both of which are essential to striving for success.
“I found the seminar useful because it helped me understand what the college application process actually looks like,” Ava said in regard to how Van Deusen’s seminar benefited her. “I also enjoyed being able to talk about the applications and ask questions I wasn’t sure about.”
Parker felt similarly about the usefulness of Van Deusen’s advice: “I walked into the seminar knowing only what upperclassmen have told me about college, but Ms. Van Deusen was able to tell me what really happens in college, and she busted myths that I thought were true for years.”
When asked for their favorite piece of advice from Van Deusen, both interns shared their takeaways: Ava valued the suggestions on time management, while Parker appreciated being told to follow her instincts.
“The most impactful advice Van Deusen shared was to start my college essay as soon as possible,” Ava remarked. “Even if it’s just a rough draft, it’s better than waiting until the last minute and then having to rush through it.”
“Van Deusen said to make sure the college we picked was right for us,” was Parker’s response. “Not perfect on paper, but a college that resonates with you. She said you could actually feel when a college is right.”
Institutions like W&M, as well as nonprofit organizations like Asian Student Achievement, pursue their goals in different ways; W&M focuses on higher education, while ASA strives to offer services that help young professionals build successful careers. Yet, regardless of their methods, both organizations want the same thing: success and growth for all who ask.
Parker and Ava attended Van Deusen’s seminar as high school students with big, life-changing decisions lying ahead of them. Deciding which college to attend, which major to pursue, or even which career path to plan for can be daunting. But the more resources a student has, the less taxing those decisions are. Parker and Ava have seminars like Van Deusen’s to provide expert insight — and an admissions counselor’s inside view — into the complex world of higher education, and they have ASA to provide essential work experience and coaching tailored to their paths. A singular seminar or internship might not seem like much, but these little steps in the right direction are what turn a high school student into a college graduate and an intern into a seasoned professional. Focus on the big steps along the way, but never underestimate the impact of a resource, be it an eight-month internship or a one-time seminar, as they might just set your future in an entirely new direction.
This article was authored by one of our interns. Support the growth of Asian American leaders by giving to ASA today.
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