After leaving South High for a couple of years, Avenue Scholars is officially back.

Avenue Scholars brings new opportunities for students at South High and offers support and coaching towards a successful career. Jenni Gutierrez is the Avenue Scholars career coach here at South High. “Avenue Scholars is a program for juniors and seniors that are exploring their career options. We mainly focus on students that want two years of school or less,” said Gutierrez. Something that differs about Avenue Scholars compared to other career coaching programs is that they offer a class.

Throughout the year there is different coursework assigned that goes over career readiness and exploration as well as other skills needed for the real world. “In class I plan for my future career and set smart goals,” said South High senior Joshua Orea.

Most importantly, the class offers support through Guttierez and other people within the program.

Guttierez said she helps students directly by building relationships and getting to know them so she can help them achieve their personal and academic goals. Guttierez said she prepares students for the real world by giving them the resources and opportunities for jobs and future education. “We help you get a job, we help you get interviews and we hold mock interviews with actual businesses, and later on students can apply for paid internships with these businesses,” she said.

Avenue Scholars also gives students various opportunities to visit different businesses in order to explore distinct career paths and help students decide what they want to pursue in the future.

“This program is going to help me reach my goal of being either a psychologist or psychiatrist,” Orea said.

The program also helps jumpstart students’ college careers because Metro Community College classes are also offered to the students. “We don’t have any direct scholarships, but we have a partnership with Metro Community College, and students can apply for the Walter Scott scholarship,” Gutierrez said.

South High senior Tae Gott said he first heard of the program through friends and decided to attend a meeting for the program. “This program helps me with life skills, leadership, teamwork, communication, resumes, scholarships and SMART goals.”

“I am so excited to start recruiting this October if any sophomores want to stop by,” Gutierrez added.