Columbia Heights Educational Campus

Description of AMIGOS Activities

• Annual Scholarship Gala Benefit - the most endearing of the programs involving the Amigos, the Gala has raised $1,700,000 since its inception. This event raises much-needed funds for deserving college bound students entering two and four year college programs.

• Guest Speaker Series - this program invites guest speakers in career paths who also come from similarly underprivileged backgrounds and have risen above their circumstances to achieve success in their chosen fields. These individuals are used as examples and role models for students and demonstrate the possible and the probable.

• Career Day/College Fair - this event is organized once a year and gives students the chance to interact with professionals concerning their future plans. Representatives from over thirty businesses, government agencies, non-profit organizations and colleges are on hand to answer questions about career and job related opportunities and often hire students for after school or summer employment. The College fair provides students a wonderful opportunity to learn more about colleges in the D.C. metropolitan area. Fair activities include information on pre-college, undergraduate, and graduate programs, application procedures and workshops on college related issues.

• Groundhog Job Shadow Day - this activity provides students with an authentic work-based experience by observing and sharing in daily operations, responsibilities and work-site climate of a corporate volunteer whose occupation reflects the students' career interest.

• Cluster Specific Internships- Internships provide students with practical experience in their career cluster of choice. The career clusters are Multilingual Communication and the Arts (MCA) and Math, Science and Business (MSB).

• Curriculum Development - By providing input in the curriculum, companies can be specific as to what is expected of them, thus strengthening the workforce.

• Mentors - An understanding adult actively involved in a student's life can encourage students to pursue long-term goals and to discuss immediate topics important to them.