On March 24, 23 students in grades 7-9 participating in the Next Generation Scholars program from Dorchester County’s Mace’s Lane Middle School and Cambridge-South Dorchester High attended “Your Interests. Your Future.” at Chesapeake College. The event, hosted by the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education, helped boost college and career readiness for students with a demonstrated financial need for more than 150 students on the Eastern Shore.[/caption]

WYE MILLS — More than 150 students from Caroline (90), Dorchester (23), Kent (26) and Wicomico (19) counties participated in “Your Interests, Your Future,” a hands-on learning event held by Maryland Business Roundtable for Education (MBRT) for Next Generation Scholars at Chesapeake College on March 24. During the organization’s second Saturday Learning Experience, 7-9th grade students explored several programs offered at the college.

Next Generation Scholars provides funding through the Howard P. Rawlings Maryland Guaranteed Access Grant, administered by the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC), to enhance education and career awareness and college completion for high school students with a demonstrated financial need. The Guaranteed Access Grant provides an award that will help cover the cost of full-time study at a Maryland college or university for low-income families.

MBRT is one of several organizations that partner with leadership and school counselors at select schools throughout the state to provide grade-specific services to ensure that students eligible for Next Generation Scholars graduate ready for their next steps in college, career and life.

MBRT is currently in the following schools: Colonel Richardson Middle School, Colonel Richardson High School, North Caroline High School and Lockerman Middle School from Caroline; Wicomico Middle School from Wicomico; Kent County Middle and High Schools from Kent; and Mace’s Lane Middle School and Cambridge-South Dorchester High from Dorchester.

MBRT coordinators — like Morgan Cox (Caroline), Lisa Beyer (Dorchester), Aundra Anderson (Kent) and Adel Boyd (Wicomico) — help students and parents understand that college is an option for everyone while bridging the knowledge gap that exists for many families about college and their chosen career paths.

Founded in 1992, the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education (MBRT) is a coalition of leading employers that have made a long-term commitment to support education reform and improve student achievement in Maryland. MBRT is the catalyst for business, government and education to drive high student achievement that ensures a competitive future workforce for a world-class economy. For more information, please visit http://www.mbrt.org/.