By Charles Swanigon/reporter
NW Campus will host its 2010 Student Success Seminar Sept. 14-15.
The two-day event will feature several workshops intended to acclimate new and old students to college life.
Sessions cover a wide range of categories, such as course-specific testing and study habits, health and fitness, career planning and personal finance.
“The Student Success Conference is meant to immerse new and old students into the culture that is Tarrant County College,” said Pedro Portillo, NW academic advisor.
Five workshops will run concurrently at 8:30, 9:30 and 11 a.m. Wednesday and 9:05 and 10:10 a.m. Thursday in the Michael Saenz Conference Center, WSTU 1303 and 1305, the library and the gym.
Wednesday’s sessions will offer such diverse topics as Doing Research in Your PJs, ABCs of Math, Who am I? How Do I Learn? and Rex Kwon Do: Self-Defense Tactics.
In Real People Eat Carbs, Ryan Stewart, HPE instructor and certified personal trainer, will dispel misconceptions about carbohydrates.
“The media blames carbs for our nation’s problem with obesity,” he said. “That’s untrue.”
Stewart will explain how carbohydrates can negatively and positively affect weight loss.
Thursday’s agenda will feature Top 12 Secrets for Student Success, Speak Up: Class Presentations 101 and Backpacks to Briefcases: Putting a Résumé Together.
Government professor Laura Wood will present Tell Me What You Want, What You Really Really Want … in the Classroom.
Wood said she plans to “debunk some student myths about professors” and explain why “professors set up their classes the way they do and how students can be successful.”
The conference ends with keynote speaker Jonathan Perez at 11:15 a.m. in WSTU 1303/1305.
Perez, a TCC alum who overcame adversity not only to attend but to graduate from TCC and continue his education, will share his experiences and offer encouragement to current students. Students can also enjoy pizza and door prizes.
“Perez is a second-generation immigrant from Guatemala and former high school dropout who promised his dying grandmother he would return to school,” said Lily Calzada, NW counselor and event organizer.
Registration is required, but tuition is free. Early registration is available Sept. 8-9 and 13 in the WSTU bookstore hallway or on WebAdvisor. Students who want to participate should log in to WebAdvisor and choose Register and Drop Sections from the Student options. Type in 0167263 for the synonym, select GENX 7050 and hit submit.
Onsite registration and conference check-in will be 8-11 a.m. in the WSTU bookstore hallway both days.
Calzada said the Student Success Conference will serve two purposes.
“One is to provide useful seminars that will help them [students] be successful in college,” she said. “The second is that it gives the opportunity to participate in a real conference by registering for the conference prior, checking in on the first day and receiving a packet and having choices of workshops that they want to attend according to their needs and schedule.”
Door prizes will be given.
For more information, students can e-mail Portillo at pedro.portillo@tccd.
