You’ve met the amazing students who’ve won PATH to Success Gold-level scholarships in Virginia, Illinois and Colorado. Now meet Randolph Harris and Carlos Bravo, the Gold winners from our Georgia campuses.
Just tuning in and wondering what the Westwood College PATH to Success Scholarship program is? PATH is one of 11 scholarship programs that Westwood offers, and it’s designed to reward enrolled students who are taking control of their futures through dedicated career planning and action.
Randolph Harris
Campus: Westwood College – Atlanta Midtown
Studying: Information and Network Technologies
Expected Graduation Year: 2014
For Randolph Harris, a dream career meets at the intersection of music and technology. He says, “I grew up with a passion for music, and it is highly important to me to find the bridge that connects my musical knowledge and my IT knowledge.”
In pursuit of that goal, Randolph has ambitious plans. He is insistent about not missing a single class and completing every assignment thoroughly, even while balancing demanding jobs delivering tech support over the phone and providing event security. As of the time of this interview, Randolph had maintained perfect attendance and landed a spot on the President’s List.
He says, “Come March 2014, I plan to graduate with honors. I also made it a personal goal to get my certifications in A+ and CCNA. Other certifications I plan to obtain are HTML and C++ coding.” Randolph’s efforts extend beyond the classroom, as well, having built a relationship with his career services representative to identify job leads and upcoming job fairs. He describes his resume as “outstanding,” thanks to the help of career services, which has helped give him the confidence to network with classmates and instructors.
Randolph’s long-term goal is to start and run his own music production company, and mentions winning a Grammy award as his ultimate dream. He says, “Making a mark and fulfilling my purpose are very important long-term goals to me.”
His words of advice: “Finish what you start. Don’t give up, and stay optimistic.”
Carlos Bravo
Campus: Atlanta Northlake
Studying: Business Administration: Major in Marketing Management
Expected Graduation Year: 2014
Carlos Bravo has a fascination with advertising and marketing campaigns. So when he assessed his career options, he matched his personality, skills and abilities to these interests and decided that pursuing a career as a marketing manager would bring him the most happiness.
Carlos currently works as a bilingual quality specialist for AGL Resources in the natural gas industry. He says maintaining a full-time job and a full-time school schedule is a challenge, but feels there are two secrets to managing it all: “Planning is the key to make both experiences more manageable. I normally review every Monday what has to be done at work and school by the end of the week, and I create a schedule to ensure that I am able to complete all my work assignments and homework on time. Also, I think that by remaining enthusiastic, optimistic and positive about my life, I am able to manage my life and schoolwork efficiently.”
He sees the potential for great opportunity within his current company and plans to apply for a position in the marketing department as soon as he completes his degree. To further his chances, Carlos has made several efforts to network and get to know co-workers interdepartmentally by participating in volunteer events, being his department’s ambassador for a health campaign across AGL, taking a resume and cover letter workshop, and participating in a leadership preparation program offered by the company.
He also proactively requested and completed cross-training with the marketing department. He had the opportunity to meet and talk to the department’s leaders, job shadow, and listen in on a presentation of marketing’s goals and strategies.
Carlos is a native Venezuelan who moved to the U.S. in 1999 and became an American citizen 10 years later. He loves to travel, and when he’s back home with his family in Venezuela, you can find him dancing to Latin music and enjoying the Venezuelan foods he grew up with.
His words of advice: “Stay focused on your goals and be persistent until you graduate and accomplish them.”
The PATH to Success Scholarship program awards nearly $70,000 in total annually and has an application deadline in May of each year. If you have a career plan and are taking action on it to ensure you get meaningful work when you graduate, you are encouraged to apply next spring.