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Nearly 400 Attend College Admissions Seminar for Children of Employees

Duke Admissions hosts “College Knowledge” seminar for 8th, 9th and 10th graders

On stage, Nikki Baskin and Christoph Guttentag with Duke Admissions share college preparation tips with Duke employees and their 8th, 9th and 10th graders during a
On stage, Nikki Baskin and Christoph Guttentag with Duke Admissions share college preparation tips with Duke employees and their 8th, 9th and 10th graders during a "College Knowledge" seminar. Photo by April Dudash

Lee Clayton didn’t jump on the opportunity to attend college. His career path led him to start his own locksmith business, but he said the challenges of entrepreneurship made him wish he went to school for a business degree.Clayton, who works at the Duke Facilities Management Key and Lock Shop, sat next to his 13-year-old son, Chase, Wednesday in the Bryan Center’s Griffith Film Theater, where they learned together how young students can better prepare themselves for applying to college.“Sometimes he says he’s a locksmith,” Clayton said of his son. “Sometimes he says he’s an engineer. I want him to find a skill that he’s happy with and market that skill. I’ll be proud of him, no matter what.”Clayton and his son were among 400 participants in Duke Undergraduate Admissions' first “College Knowledge” seminar, which was specifically geared toward Duke employees and their 8th, 9th and 10th graders. Of the list of registered individuals, 195 were children of employees.

Christoph Guttentag, dean of Duke Undergraduate Admissions, told the crowd that he could relate to the parents sitting in the room. His daughter is in the 10th grade and now preparing for college.“It’s our job as parents to meet our children where they are,” Guttentag said. “This is about supporting your children in doing things that matter to them. It’s about doing things that are worth doing, and pushing your child in the direction they’re already heading.”Discussions focused on the standardized tests that students take starting in 8th grade through high school, how college admissions offices look at grades and transcripts, financial aid opportunities, and how to help a young student through the stress that comes with looking at colleges. The seminar did not focus on admission to Duke or any other specific college.Duke Undergraduate Admissions also hosts an annual seminar for Duke employees and their children who are high school juniors and seniors. The office is currently considering adding a second “College Knowledge” session this year for 8th through 10th graders, due to the event’s popularity.Cynthia Rivera and her 15-year-old son, Zachary Litzinger, were in the audience listening. Zachary and his family are beginning to consider what colleges to visit for tours. Zachary is in the engineering pathway at his high school, taking math and science classes, studying Latin, and on his school’s soccer team. He said he wanted to get a general idea of how to plan early for college at the seminar. Rivera added that looking around at the room full of people helped her realize just how competitive the college admissions process is going to be.“He’s a sophomore right now, and we want to be ahead of the game a little bit,” she said.