Dozens of students from Northern Santa Barbara County attended the first-ever Level Up Youth Summit in Santa Maria, gaining valuable career and life skills. The event was held at Hancock College’s Fine Arts Complex and was put on through a collaboration of several community partners, including the Workforce Development Board of Santa Barbara County, Goodwill Industries of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, and CoastHills Credit Union.
Building Career Skills
About 70 students took part in the four-hour event, which focused primarily on career exploration, workforce development, and personal growth. Participants had the opportunity to connect with industry professionals, learn about career pathways, participate in interactive workshops, and explore internship and employment opportunities.
Students were enthusiastic about the event, with one student, Rayonna Patterson-Lee, saying, “They definitely packed a lot… I took notes on what I should use moving forward in life and I think the qualities that they’ve provided us are pretty good and substantial.” Another student, Daniel Limon, added, “I hope that with this I learned something… Nothing can stop you. Any excuse that you put in yourself is just in your mind and you have to be willing to step out of your comfort zone and be the best you can be.”
Community Support
The event also included the awarding of four scholarships and four laptops from Goodwill Industries and CoastHills Credit Union. Celeste Mendoza, Goodwill Industries Mission Services Manager, said, “Our goal at the end of the day is to eliminate barriers… Scholarships to any student I think is very beneficial, especially in the times we’re in nowadays. Any help that we can provide students to our community, our goal is to eliminate barriers to education in any career development.”
Other community partners that participated in the summit included Allan Hancock College, CommUnify, Lompoc Valley Medical Center, the California Department of Rehabilitation, Future Lompoc, and Creciendo Raíces. The Santa Barbara County Workforce Development Board indicated that a similar event is planned for the South County area next year.
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
