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Educational Opportunity Centers, Inc. NEWSLETTER 2005 FINANCIAL AID; IT’S NOT TOO LATE
HELP SAVE EDUCATION PROGRAM
CONGRATULATIONS to the recipients of the 2005 EOC Scholarship! CONGRATULATIONS to the recipients of the 2005 EOC Scholarship! This award, based on academic performance, school and community activities, and a written essay, is awarded to participants of the EOC Program who have made significant achievements as adult students. The Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce the following worthy recipients of this year’s awards: VALERIE BEECROFT of Avoca is majoring in Court Reporting at Luzerne County Community College. MARGARET-MARY PLATZER, Jim Thorpe, is enrolled in the Hotel and Restaurant Management Program at Lehigh Carbon Community College. CYNTHIA SHOEMAKER, Dunmore, is pursuing a degree in Diagnostic Sonography at Lackawanna College. RACHELLE GUZMAN of Danville is majoring in Criminal Justice at Luzerne County Community College. JENIFFER SUHOCKY, Edwardsville, is enrolled in the Accounting Technology Program at Luzerne County Community College. BARBARA SMITH, Conyngham, is majoring in Nursing at Luzerne County Community College. PAMELA FEDAK of Alden is a Nursing major at Luzerne County Community College. THOMAS LEDENT, Hanover, is majoring in Human Services at Luzerne County Community College. TAMMY SILVETTI, Berwick, is enrolled at Luzerne County Community College where she is pursuing a degree in Medical Office Assistant/Transcription..
Recovery from Substance Abuse and Returning to School You are newly in recovery, perhaps recently spent some time in detox and subsequently in a rehab facility, and now you find yourself wanting to return to school. How does it all work? Is the timing right? Is it possible to go back to school and yet maintain your new clean and sober lifestyle? Going back to school can be a wonderful, exciting experience, as you begin to open the doors to a new career. But it’s also a time of hard work, planning, organizing, studying, and juggling schedules. If you are planning to combine work and school, that is a challenge as well. Just how much time will you need to plan for attending school? If you are looking for federal financial aid, you must take a minimum of 6 college credits, or two courses, in order to receive the aid. Six credits or “semester hours” means that you will be in class for six hours every week for the entire semester (15 weeks). Now, add to it your transportation time, your homework and study time, and other student related responsibilities, and you are close to 20 hours per week, or the equivalent of a part time job!!! This is a critical time for you. Newly into your recovering lifestyle, you will be making lots of changes, modifications, and decisions in a different way. You will be working carefully on correcting your addictive behaviors. Attending meetings and moving in different social circles will be high on your list of priorities. These changes in your life are a wonderful foray into a new existence for you, and may require lots of time and effort to implement the changes effectively and in a comfortable fashion. Your work involves developing a foundation in your clean and sober lifestyle. Adding school to the mix may be something you definitely would like to do, but perhaps waiting a semester or two might be the best choice at this time. This is an issue you’ll want to discuss with your counselor. Here at the Educational Opportunity Center, we believe strongly in the value of education, and when your education is part of a newly developed lifestyle plan it can be an enhancement to your decision to create a new life for yourself. Your continuing recovery has to be first and foremost on your agenda. Anything that might compromise this has to be put on hold. But please keep in mind…when you are ready to move on with your scholastic plans, we, here at the Educational Opportunity Center are ready to help you. Please don’t hesitate to call. Guide for adult students Consider why you want to go to school:
By focusing on your motivation you can better determine your career and educational goals. Develop a plan to determine your educational goals:
Review your plan to determine how it will fit into your lifestyle:
Decide which school you will attend:
Determine the cost of education and how you will pay for it. What are your available sources:
Consider how the cost of education will fit into your budget with your other expenses – such as house payment, car payment, etc. Complete all the necessary admissions and financial aid forms:
Make sure you have all of your paperwork accurately completed and in on time.
EOC Inc Back to School Newsletter Tips to De-stress
There is confusion about the word stress. Sometimes a feeling of stress heeds as a warning that we are feeling excited about something positive in our lives. But, for the most part, we attribute the word STRESS to mean anxiety, and, a feeling of loss of control that seems to dominate our lives. As students, you may feel like you are in a “pressure cooker” at various times throughout the semester—from the first time you meet the college professor, to those times when papers are due, quizzes are scheduled or mid-term or final exams are looming. What can you do to alleviate this distress? 7 Steps to DE-STRESS Yourself
*Don’t: drink, smoke, or use substances to alleviate stress. If necessary, talk to a counselor on campus if you are feeling ‘over the edge’. Learning should be a positive experience. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help. Study Tips:ü Rule of thumb: two hours of studying for each class hour. ü Complete difficult or least interesting things first. Save easy or enjoyable assignments until last. ü Avoid long study sessions. Take regular breaks, 10 minutes every hour. ü Avoid studying similar subject back to back. ü Determine the time of day when you are most effective and can focus. ü Use small amount of time effectively. ü Have a regular place to study. ü Don’t get too comfortable (or you may fall asleep). ü Avoid distractions. ü Train others to respect your time-including those who call on the phone. ü Learn to say NO. Be your own person. Do what is right for you.
Job Trends and IssuesAlthough our nightly news is often focused on the company closings (not only in Pennsylvania, but throughout the United States) there is still some good news! There are options in the job market that you may have yet to consider, and with a little schooling you can embark on a new career. According to a labor market survey conducted of the eastern PA counties, here are a few of the “hot jobs” in the Northeastern Pennsylvania area:
An important thing to remember is the aging population. According to the census bureau, 16% of the population of the US will be over 65 by 2020. In the next 5 years, it is predicted that one-half the federal workforce will qualify for retirement in the next 3 years, as well as our grade school teaching staff. These retirements can cause huge gaps in the workforce. It is also predicted that the highest demand occupations will require at least a two year college degree if not more advanced education. If you would like to research specific job projections visit: http://almis.dws.state.ut.us/occ/projections.asp CONGRATULATIONS to the recipients of the 2003 EOC Scholarship! This award, based on academic performance, school and community activities, and a written essay, is awarded to participants of the EOC Program who have made significant achievements as returning adult students. The Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce the following worthy recipients of this year's awards: BRIAN MIGNANO of Wilkes-Barre is majoring in Respiratory Therapy at Luzerne County Community College. BARBARA PAVLAK, Greeley, is a Dental Hygiene major at Luzerne County Community College. PATRICIA NOVOTNAK, Drums, is enrolled in the Physical Therapy Assistant Program at Penn State University. KIMBERLY GRETHER, Allentown, is a Liberal Arts major at Lehigh Carbon Community College. DUSTIN BERNARDINI, Blakely, studied Information Technology at Keystone College and will attend Lock Haven University this fall. GARY PAVLAK of Greeley is majoring in Heating, Plumbing and Air Conditioning Technology at Luzerne County Community College. HEATHER CRAWFORD, Scranton, is enrolled in the Medical Office Assistant/Transcriptionist Program at Luzerne County Community College. MARISSA LYNADY of Scranton is majoring in Vascular Technology at Lackawanna College.
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