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The Experience to Help Choose Your Future Path

One of the biggest decisions a young person will make is what to path, but it can be a real dilemma to truly know what you want for your future — especially without any real-world working experience. To make matters even more stressful, the ongoing global pandemic may have caused you to put your studies on hold.

It was with these struggles in mind that Conyers created its “Gap Year” programme in 2020. The programme’s intention was to support students impacted by Covid-19 who had to pause reasons. High-potential, recent grads from local senior schools, or those already enrolled in an undergraduate programme were invited to apply.

Although the programme initially started to help students impacted by the pandemic, Conyers noticed it met an ongoing need in the community. Conyers has hosted a total of eight students so continue to learn and develop skills into 2022.

“Our primary goal is to help educate young minds with an interest in client services, and foster their development and success,” says Lisa SpencerArscott, Conyers’ Global Head of Human Resources. “As the world continues to be challenged by Covid-19, Conyers is doubling down on its support of earlycareer growth through more robust internship programmes that will give emerging talent the chance to learn from seasoned professionals and build the foundations they need to succeed.”

This “Gap Year” programme has proven helpful to students seeking meaningful business services departments. Kevonte Jennings-Lathan, who was placed with Conyers’ compliance department, says the team at Conyers is welcoming, knowledgeable and always ready to assist. “Working in compliance has been to me. I am challenging myself in this new environment by participating in all the tasks at hand and am continuously learning,” he said.

For Airica Outerbridge, who was placed in Conyers’ marketing department, the “I am so grateful for such an amazing opportunity to work alongside highly talented professionals – both locally and globally,” she said. “The hands-on experience has been invaluable and most my desire to work in marketing”.

If you would like to learn more about the Conyers Gap Year programme or telephone the Human Resources Department: 295-1422.

Managing Exam Stress

Ione time or another. We asked experts from three local schools for advice to help Bermudian students become more productive.

“One way to manage or preempt potential stress is to focus in class and ensure you complete assignments or homework on time” says James Anthony, Director of Saltus Senior School. However, he acknowledges that you can’t go back in time to rectify that lack following practical tips for the present: • Focus on ‘preparation over panic’ and avoid leaving things to the last minute.

Create a study schedule and stick to it. • Ensure you have a dedicated study space where you can organise your books and notes. • Once you have your notes together it’s not enough just to read through them a couple of times and hope you to study with friends so that you can discuss topics to ensure you fully understand them. • Make sure you build in time for yourself. It’s essential that you have time for relaxation and exercise, and you should not feel guilty for taking care of your physical and mental wellness in the lead up to exams.

Dr. Wanda Gibson, teacher of biology and psychology at MSA, agrees with these points, especially the last one. She encourages students to “Be sure to get enough sleep each night. Be sure that you are eating good food and try to exercise and relax regularly. Have a positive attitude and don’t let anyone tell you that it is too hard, or you cannot do it.”

Getting organised and starting early with study and revision is also essential, says Dr. Gibson. Her tips are to: • much time you have before the test. • Then break the material into manageable chunks. • Plan to spend no more than 20 – 30 minutes at a time studying (even if you want to do some more later in the day – take a break then go back to

do more). You can only fully focus for about this time before your mind will start to wander. • Make sure that you do not have your phone or other devices anywhere around to distract you. If you need background noise, make sure that it is not music with words.

Thanks to the support from Lancashire Insurance Company, Warwick Academy brings in an expert on study skills to work with its students and teachers, and also shares that expertise with other schools. It recently welcomed Mr. Eric Lauzon of Learning About Learning and Thinking about Thinking (LALATAT) and conducted 11 students, and goal setting for year 13 students. Its advice for students who feel overwhelmed when faced with exams is summarised in these points. • One of the most important things that a student needs to learn is how they react in the face of failure. When they get tests and exams back, they need to look at out where they went wrong, look up the correct answer and learn from the failure. Those that do this almost always do better in future exams. • . Most students these days have forgotten how to concentrate as there are so many distractions, the main one being phones. Students are checking messages constantly, playing music or watching a movie as they try to study.

Research has proven that those who show deep concentration perform substantially better than those who don’t. Students need to block out all other things, have quiet, put the phone away and study in blocks of 45 minutes. The suggestion is to put a 45-minute timer on your phone, put a message on saying ‘not available for 45 minutes’ and fall into deep study concentration. It can triple the

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Forest. • . Most students will admit that they study at the lastminute, leaving everything to crunch time. Last minute study commits knowledge to short-term memory but does not produce deep understanding and knowledge. Create a study schedule in 45-minute chunks of time, and create a reward to enjoy at the end of the 45 minutes. Students should plan their time — no last-minute learning, no procrastinating.

You CAN attend a U.S. College or University!

How much do you know about attending a college in the United States? U.S. Consul General to Bermuda Karen Grissette seeks to raise awareness of attainable study opportunities in the United States, and she explains why.

There are more than 4,500 institutions of higher learning in the United States. With Bermuda’s close proximity to the United States, straightforward application processes, and are many compelling reasons to look at higher education in the U.S.

“We have the best universities in the world” says Ms. Grissette. “Additionally, the U.S. Department of State runs EducationUSA, (https://educationusa. state.gov) to help students navigate the vast number of U.S. higher learning comprehensive, and current information."

Ms. Grissette continues, "The EducationUSA network includes more than 430 international student advising centres in more than 175 countries and territories. Bermuda has its own advising centre located on the campus of Bermuda College. Resources are available to the public along with guidance from the appointed EducationUSA Advisor. It can

Ms. Grissette explains that in addition the EducationUSA website, (https:// study preferences based on metrics including geography, fees, areas of study, and available scholarships. “I think there’s a misconception that a U.S. education is too expensive” she continues. “But in many cases, that’s just not so. There programmes available, and there is a example, the Weinstein Family Scholarship at Columbia University in New York was recently established for a deserving student from Bermuda.

Ms. Grissette points out that “one of university is that you're getting educated in a system that works very closely with Bermuda. Particularly for students sciences, or banking, for example, they're studying those subjects in the business environment in which Bermuda is very

There is one more compelling reason to consider the United States: the strong ties between Bermudian and U.S. educational institutions, says Ms. Grissette. “There are articulation agreements, or 2+2 agreements, which provide seamless transfers for Bermuda College students to complete their bachelor’s degree at any of twenty U.S. colleges and universities. And we seek to strengthen those agreements all the tuition rates for international students.”

The Bermuda Institute of Ocean Science (BIOS) is another exceptional partner with strong links to dozens of U.S. colleges and universities. BIOS welcomes U.S. students and researchers to Bermuda, and aims to increase articulation agreements with Bermuda College for students undertaking marine and environmental sciences programmes. BIOS recently formed a partnership with Arizona State University's Global Futures Laboratory, creating even more opportunities for Bermudian students. “Studying in the United States provides opportunities and experiences that cannot be replicated in any other country. So many Bermudian government leaders, international business representatives, and entertainers have shared how they experience. The next generation of Bermudian leaders deserves to have those same opportunities.”

What are the benefits of studying in the U.S.?

1of studying in the United States for most Bermudians is that you don’t need a student visa. If you choose to study in the U.S. and are accepted by a school, the designated Eligibility for Non-immigrant Student Status. The Form I-20 allows you to live in the United States while enrolled in a college or university.

2Of all the great features of American colleges and the quality of the education. Eight of the top 10 ranked universities in the world are in the United States. If you examine the rankings of the top 100 or even the top 500, the majority of leading universities will be in the United States. 3The variety of study programmes is second major that captures your interest and allows you to be successful. For most U.S. undergraduates, you do not need to declare your major before entering, so you can explore subjects and follow your passions. You can change majors, double major, or add a minor subject. 4 extracurricular activities including intercollegiate sports, club sports, music, social clubs, theatre, and interest-based clubs covering any topic you can imagine. Campus life in the United States is, in and of itself, a cultural experience.

5The United States boasts two-year colleges, technical schools, undergraduate colleges, and universities.