Hugs and laughter filled Kerr High School’s cafeteria on January 6 —but not from Kerr students.
The counseling department hosted a College Fair with Kerr graduates this past Friday in order for the alumni to inform students about college. The college fair was also an event that gave the alumni the chance to catch up with past teachers and remember their school experiences.
Pamphlets and documents were handed out to the students containing information and statistics on college prices, as well as advice the alumni thought was necessary to help students be prepared for the rest of their high school careers as well as their college experience.
Alumni discussed jobs ranging from teachers to therapists, as well as the hardships and experiences they had to overcome to get to where they were now.
Class of ’06 graduate Jacquilyn Carcamo attributed some of her successes in college and graduate school to her experience with Kerr’s non-traditional scheduling.
“The setup really prepared [me] the most,” she said. “It can help you balance work, and it’s pretty much the same since you’re going to procrastinate. The only thing different is that you’re going to be prepared.”
Caraamo now works as an intern therapist at Memorial Herman Southwest. Carcamo believes that Kerr has many virtues that will help students get the education they need and will help them in their near future as a positive example as she praises.
“What really helps is that the cultural relationship between students and teachers in the school is so small so it gives the opportunity for a more one-on-ne experience,” Carcamo said.
But Han Tran, who graduated from Kerr in 2011 and now attends Babson University, believes that although Kerr’s system does have its strengths, it did not prepare him for all the demands of a typical college class.
“For college we have to speak in every class so you need to know how to communicate. On one hand, Kerr teaches you about hard work and all, but I don’t feel like people are prepared to interact and communicate with others…” He said. “One thing I wish Kerr would have taught me is to talk to everyone and not just your circle.”
Ravi Brahmbhatt, Class of ’02 alumni and now teacher at Houston Community College, said Kerr’s freedom benefitted him as a student.
“Kerr teaches independence [and socialization] as you can work with your own group. It’s really like the real world in where you have a goal and you have responsibility to do what you want,” Brahmbhatt said.
Brahmbhatt encouraged students to take advantages of the opportunities Kerr offers as well as the life lessons gained from there. Brahmbatt considers that he learned a lot from Kerr academically as well as socially, but he believes that there is more to come in college.
“One thing Kerr helps in a way in college is you take notes, but we had to learn better on how to do it in college….. Here we took notes by book, but at college there’s more lectures we have to take notes from,” said Brahmbhatt.
What many graduates said they remember most about Kerr is the relationships they formed as students.
“I remember the people, which is good after years as well as my experiences with the teachers,” Brahmbhatt said. “I keep contact with at least 20 percent of the people I knew in high school.”
