Ms. Natalie Bosco
Class of 2022 and Sophomore at UW-Madison
August 2023 - How BMHS Prepared Me For College
The first year post high school graduation is hard for everyone, whether you go straight into college, into the workforce, into the trades, or take a gap year. Whichever path you decide to take, however, Beloit Memorial High School prepares you in many ways.
For me personally, I went straight into a four-year university. While moving away from home and into a new city full of strangers can seem very overwhelming, I had a sense of comfort because of the preparation I was able to endure while attending Beloit Memorial High School.
Academies: Small Learning Environments with Big Benefits
Firstly, through the academy model that Beloit Memorial High School uses to allow its students to explore different career paths, I was able to decide on what I wanted to major in. I started my sophomore year in the BACH (Business, Arts, Communication, and Hospitality) Academy because I was a band student. However, I knew that music was not something I planned on pursuing in college, so I talked to my advisor and changed to the HHES (Health, Human, and Educational Services) Academy because I was interested in nursing.
Being in the HHES Academy, I had the opportunity to go on a field trip through CareerTek to tour UW-Madison’s nursing school. I went and talked to undergraduate nursing students and heard their perspectives. I then realized that nursing was probably not going to be for me. At this time, I had also begun working for a small business and enjoyed seeing and learning about the different aspects of running a business. This ultimately sparked my interest in the business world, and that is when I switched back to the BACH Academy and was able to take exploratory business classes. The opportunity to truly find what I enjoyed and how I could make that into a career is thanks to the Beloit Memorial High School academy model.
Class Variety: So Many Choices; So Many Opportunities
Knowing I wanted to pursue business in college was just the start of another set of decisions. I major in finance, accounting, HR, management, or many others. Beloit Memorial High School offers classes that make this decision easier. I started with Intro to Marketing and loved it. This business path brings creativity and organization together, which are two things that I love. From here, I was able to make a decision on what specific business path I wanted to take.
The BACH Academy was very helpful because not only was I able to be confident in what career path I was pursuing, but I was also able to apply and be accepted as a direct admit to the Wisconsin School of Business. This meant that I didn’t have to apply my freshman year and had access to many opportunities that the business school had to offer.
Internships: The School District of Beloit Outpaces the State 3:1 in Work-based Learning
Lastly, and what was the most helpful, was how Beloit Memorial High School prepared me for college with internship opportunities. I was in my Intro to Marketing class when my teacher introduced me to internships available in our district. There was a posting for a Marketing and Communications Intern for the School District of Beloit. I was interested in this because it would be an amazing experience, as most students don’t start internships until college. I applied for the position and, after an interview process, was hired.
During my internship,I learned many things that I wouldn’t have in a regular business class. I received an authentic experience of what it would be like to have a career in marketing. This internship allowed me to be completely confident in my decisions as a business student. I gained such valuable knowledge and skills that I will be able to use in future jobs and internships.
I am now the Summer Marketing Assistant for the School District of Beloit, as the Marketing Department decided to hire me on their team for the summer before I go back to school. I am learning more and more every day thanks to the internship opportunity I was given.
Finally, I am very happy and proud to say that Beloit Memorial High School prepared me for college through its academy system, class variety, and internship opportunities. I am confident in the post-high school decisions that I was aided in making through my high school experience. #BeloitProud
