UPTOWNflavor

In a climate of mass layoffs, hiring freezes, budget cuts, and project cancellations, competition in the workplace is stiffer than ever. That’s precisely why the Harlem Education Guild and The Frederick Douglass Academy are putting on a career fair: because in this economic downturn, more than any other, only the best prepared are going to succeed.

 Long regarded Harlem’s premier public secondary school, Frederick Douglass Academy is known for sending off its seniors not only with a diploma in hand, but also a college acceptance letter. As Dr. Gregory M. Hodge, the principal, never tires of saying, “A high school diploma simply isn’t what it used to be. You have to have more. You have to go on to college.”

 That’s as true as ever, of course. But with a growing glut of unemployed college graduates, it also pays to plan for the long run. Students need to know what fields and industries are shrinking and which are developing and growing. That’s why the Harlem Education Guild, an affiliation of Ephesus Seventh-Day Adventist church, is excited about partnering with Frederick Douglass Academy. Says Chairperson Charmaine B. Searcy, “As students enter an uncertain world, our career fair will provide them with a great variety of professional and educational resources.”

 Scheduled for Sunday, May 31, 2009, from 9 am to 1 pm, the HEG / FDA Career Fair invites 6th-12th grade students to explore prospective career options from a wide variety of fields. Over 100 professionals will make presentations, field questions, and engage in personal conversation. Information about community service initiatives and college scholarships will be offered to high school seniors. In addition, there will be finance, math, and science workshops, mentorship opportunities and a presentation on best business practices. Representatives from dozens of corporations and colleges, including MSNBC, Iman Cosmetics and Lehman College will be in attendance.