Life On Land

Preparing for LIFE

As I look forward to graduating in May, I have found myself listing the responsibilities I will have in the next steps in life. I will have to pay my own car insurance, find health benefits in my job, do my own taxes, buy groceries…the list goes on and on.

One thing I am extremely thankful for is not having to pay off student loans. I was fortunate enough to have an athletic scholarship to help pay for some of school, but very few people have that luxury.

There are ways to save money, obtain scholarships and plan for college that apply to almost anyone though.  In an effort to educate high school students on these options and show college as a feasible option for students in Athens, Athens College Track hosted a interactive College Track game and awarded a $500 scholarship to one lucky winner. The game was based on the board game LIFE and showed how grades, SAT scores and saving made the track to college easier, and Clarke Central High School junior Natalya Haas took home a chunk of change  to start her college savings with.

High school students play the College Track game.

Preparing for life not only means planning ahead, but getting experience for what the real world will bring. This incredible event was run by none other than Grady’s Bateman Team. These five ladies have been hard at work since last fall organizing a campaign for the Consumer Bankers Association‘s College Bound Aid program. They are running their own account and creating and executing ideas all their own. Talk about real life experience!

I hope that the PR experiences I have had puts me a step ahead of a few of my peers when I set foot in the real world. I have (nearly) made it through college and gained knowledge inside and out of the classroom. I feel well prepared but know I will always have more to learn.  So of course I will (warning: cheesy cliche coming) roll the dice and just play the game of Life.