Students who don’t want to go to college should get the same focus in high school as those who are college-bound, says Sheryl Neely, an Atlanta high school counselor and winner of the national Association for Career and Technical Education Career Guidance Award.
“They tell me, ‘Dr. Neely, I just want to work,’ ” she said. “But we’re preparing them for post-secondary options even though it’s career-related.”
The award recognizes guidance counselors who have made significant contributions to advocate for and communicate the value of career and technical education.
Neely — an Atlanta Public Schools graduate — works at Douglass High School.
She’s worked to find outside support for students through scholarships and other opportunities and on connecting students with job training.
“Sheryl is an ambassador for higher education and an outstanding leader for social change,” Douglass assistant principal Libra Royster said in a written statement.
Neely served on the panel guiding the creation of a new regional school that will train students for high-demand jobs, the Atlanta College and Career Academy.
The new school will let students leave high school with a career, she said.
“They don’t have to graduate from high school and then figure out what they’re doing,” she said.
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