College & Career Newsletter

Scroll through for important information regarding College/Career

How to reach us?

For general questions and inquiries please email (Please do not use the link at the bottom of this Newsletter to contact us)

Ms Ignaitis: tignaitis@seq.org

All HCA, Study Skills Students and Last names A-L

and/or

Ms Yeager: tyeager@seq.org

All DAA, ELD Students and Last names M-Z

UPCOMING EVENTS/DUE DATES:

January 31st - Extended Deadline for Juniors to Sign Up for School Day SAT

February 6th - CSF Form Due

March 12th - SAVE THE DATE - Junior Meeting for Students Applying to Schools that Need Letters of Recommendations and/or a School Report

April 23th - School Day SAT - SEE JUNIOR SECTION for Sign-up Information

Due February 6th

Seniors Must Turn in CSF Application During Your Senior Year to Be Eligible for Life Membership

DIRECTIONS

• The application must be completed and turned in by the STUDENT ONLY!

• Go to the College and Career’s CSF webpage for application form, course list, and more information or pick up a copy outside of the College and Career Center

• Applications must be turned in by Thursday, February 6th.

• NO Late Applications, NO Exceptions! Please complete it early!

• If you need help completing the application form, come to College and Career Center at lunch

Application Workshop in-person on 1/27 from 6-8pm at our office (687 Bay Road).

We will go over the application, give students time to make progress on their essays, and have a Q&A session.

Please ask your students to register here, as spots are limited.

Students completing Edgenuity credit recovery online courses for graduation and/or UC/CSU A-G requirements are required to take unit tests and cumulative tests in the Edgenuity lab in-person. The lab is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4pm-6pm in Room B-8 with Mr. Calles. The deadline for seniors is May 30, 2025.

January 28:

Admissions counselors at Babson College, Bucknell University, Davidson College and Southern Methodist University will share impactful ways to make the most of your summer with an eye toward strengthening your college application. Bring your questions and leave inspired and ready to plan your best summer yet!

Register →

The "most important factor" can be highly individual and will vary greatly depending on each student's unique circumstance. However, here's a general guideline that might help you clarify your college priorities:

1. Academic Programs: Ensure that the college offers strong programs in your area(s) of interest. For example, if you're interested in engineering, you might prioritize schools known for excellent engineering programs.

2. Cost & Affordability: Be realistic about what you and your family can afford. Look at institutions that offer generous financial aid packages, scholarships, or lower tuition rates. Use each college's Net Price Calculator to estimate your costs.

3. Location: Think about whether you want to be in an urban, suburban, or rural setting. Would you prefer to be close to home or are you okay being far away? Each setting offers a different lifestyle, opportunities, and challenges.

4. Size: College sizes can range from less than a thousand to tens of thousands of students. Think about whether you want smaller classes and a close-knit community, or a large, diverse student body with more course offerings.

5. Campus Culture: This speaks to the "vibe" of the school, which can encompass everything from the political climate to the prominence of Greek life, to the value placed on arts or athletics.

6. Outcomes: Consider the college's graduation rate, job placement rates, and post-graduate support services.

Of course, this is not an exhaustive list, and you might prioritize other factors such as study abroad opportunities or specific extracurricular activities. The key is to think deeply about what matters most to you.

Here are some website to help you start your search that include reviews from actual students

NICHE

College Navigator

GradReports

DUE DATE EXTENDED ONE WEEK: January 31st

Sequoia HS April 2025 SAT School Day Sign-Up - JUNIORS ONLY

Sequoia is offering the School Day SAT on April 23rd

REQUIREMENTS FOR SCHOOL DAY SAT on APRIL 23rd::

Only current SHS 11th-graders are eligible.

Only students can complete this form and MUST use their Sequoia email.

By completing the form above, students understand the following:

• All students will pay $25 by cash or check with Ms. Gordon in the Treasurer's Office or by credit card through My School Bucks by February 5, 2025 to hold their spot. The money is non-refundable. If paying for the test is an issue, please email Ms. Yeager.

• All students will attend a FLEX or Lunch Time meeting to complete the pre-administration session.

• All students will report to Gym 1 on Wednesday April 23rd at 7:30am to begin testing at 8:00am.

Please note, all accommodations are processed by the College Board and directions for receiving accommodations are available here.

DEADLINE to complete form: Wed Jan 22, 2025 (EXTENDED TO 31st)

REMINDER: UC/CSU do not require SAT/ACT

INTEREST FORM DUE: Feb 3rd

Are you interested in a nationally recognized program where students run a city government?

From Boys State Website

The American Legion California Boys State Program offers a hands-on, realistic experience in civic responsibility to young men prior to entering their senior year of high school. As our leaders of tomorrow, we attempt to instill in them the privileges and duties of American citizenship

THE PROCESS

1. Interested junior males/females complete this form using your school email

2. Students will be interviewed

3. The representative will choose one student who will quickly need to complete an application

4. If chosen, the student needs to be available from June 21-28 for the conference

We have had students attend this program and they love it (it is not political and very welcoming to all)

The Boys and Girls State Program Take Place Simultaneously

BOYS STATE WEBSITE

GIRLS STATE WEBSITE

MONDAY Feb 10th

On Monday, February 10, from 6:00-7:15 p.m. in the Community Room at the downtown Redwood City Library, Alice Kleeman will resume her free library college-admission info sessions.

This will be my first 2025 session for current high school juniors, and we’ll talk about creating a college list. If the students indicate that they want more sessions (which they have done every year since I began doing this in 2015), I hope to offer an open-ended Q&A session in March.

The session is for high school juniors only, not students at other grade levels or parents. Students who plan to attend must pre-register:

Our past students find her sessions invaluable and she is FREE!

As you are considering different schools to apply to, make sure to check out their testing policies. If you need or want to take a test, it is your responsibility to sign-up and register for the tests.

Use these links below to sign-up for the SAT or ACT:

College Board

ACT

• Your 504 or IEP accommodations are not covered for outside testing.
• If you want accommodations for the SAT or ACT, you need to request them separately through the College Board or ACT.
• It is the responsibility of the families to research and provide all necessary documentation since these tests are not associated with Sequoia.
• While families can submit their documentation on their own, Sequoia can also complete the final submission step. For more information about this process, go to our website: The College Board Process for SAT/PSAT and The Process for ACT

Updated February lists are now NOW AVAILABLE.

Click HERE to go directly to the Sequoia High School website for the most updated scholarship and student opportunities lists. How to Access Scholarships on Naviance (9-12th Grades)

If you find a scholarship you are interested in and want the link to the website or more information be sure to log in to your Naviance account, under the College tab, click on Scholarships and Money, then Scholarship list, and put the name of the scholarship in the search box, then click on the name of the scholarship.

Come to College and Career for an Application by January 27th

The contest is open to all students 9-12. This year’s topic: “Artificial Intelligence (AI): Friend or Foe?” Students must speak on the topic for a minimum of 5 minutes and no longer than 10 minutes. All speeches will be judged on text, delivery and effectiveness. However, the club is limited on the number of contestants.

Come to the College and Career Center to pick up an application.

Due: Jan 28th

Grades Eligible: 10th-12th

Earn entries in monthly drawings for $500 and $40,000 scholarships by completing steps to plan for college. The sooner you start and the more steps you complete, the more chances you’ll have to win

Due: Jan 29th

Grades Eligible: 11-12th

For juniors/seniors with financial need who have attended a Jobs for Youth workshop and registered as a member. Minimum GPA 2.0.

Due: Jan 30th

Grades Eligible: 9-12th

All grades. Focus of scholarship is to help students understand the negative effects of too much screen time. US citizen or legal resident.

DUE Feb 1st

ELIGIBLE GRADES: 9-12th

Welcome aspiring young authors, and thank you for your interest in the $1000 for 1000 Words Creative Writing Contest! We’re looking for an outstanding piece of short fiction that consists of exactly 1000 words. As long as you do so in precisely 1000 words

For More Information click here

DUE Feb 1st

ELIGIBLE GRADES: 9-12th

2025 Topic: Write a piece describing a common object you would make "smart". Tell us what it would do, how it would help people, and what could go wrong.

Open to all high school students! More Information and Application HERE

Scholarship DUE: February 16th

ELIGIBLE GRADE/AGE: Must be at least 17, prefer Juniors

Scholarships for high school juniors that are interested in aviation. The scholarship provides both the ground and flight training necessary to obtain a private pilot license. The training mainly occurs in the summer

CLICK HERE for more information and to apply

Week long program and scholarship

Due Jan 31st

Grades Eligible: 9th - 12th

The Princeton Prize in Race Relations (PPRR) recognizes and rewards high school students who, through their volunteer activities, have undertaken significant efforts to advance racial equity and understanding in their schools or communities. All expenses paid trip to week long symposium. Must have an adult sponsor not related to you. WEBSITE

DUE: Feb 10th

ELIGIBLE GRADES: 9-12th

2 workshops over the course of two weeks via Zoom that are focused on the topic of career exploration. This program is open to any high school student that is interested and is a completely free opportunity. WEBSITE

Register by Feb 1st

Grades Eligible:9-12th

Grassroots Ecology invites local high school students to apply to our Youth Stewards volunteer cohort at Stulsaft Park Redwood City. Youth Stewards will have the opportunity to meet new friends, learn about nature from expert staff, enhance their observation skills, and help restore local California woodland, creekside and grassland ecosystems through planting, weeding, mulching, and more. This is a 10-week volunteer and educational experience for local high school students, with no mandatory number of sessions required for participation. WEBSITE

REGISTER HERE

Volunteer

all year

Grades Eligible: 9-12th

To sign up to volunteer, visit our website by selecting one of the following options: Sort food at our warehouses, Distribute food to community members - Distribution sites are located in nearly every neighborhood in Silicon Valley,

Deliver food to homes – Load your vehicle and deliver healthy groceries to homes of seniors and other homebound clients in Santa Clara or San Mateo County. You must be 18 years old to volunteer for this activity. WEBSITE

ELIGIBLE AGES: 14+

DPS Rescue is searching for new volunteers for our biweekly events in Palo Alto! We welcome volunteers of all experience levels and backgrounds, ages 14+, and offer community service credits/sign-offs if needed. Complete form on their WEBSITE.

Available All Year

Eligible Grades:9-12th

The San Mateo County Historical Association offers a number of free public programs throughout the year for Lunar New Year, Happy San Mateo County Day, Fourth of July (half-price admission), Victorian Days, Día de los Muertos, and Hometown Holidays. We are always looking for volunteers to assist with craft activities and gallery monitoring for these events. Interested students can email carmen@historysmc.org for upcoming volunteer opportunities. WEBSITE

This is a great opportunity for SHS students to be matched with a younger student to tutor once or twice a week.

If interested contact:

Email - rclread@redwoodcity.org

Phone- 650 780-7077

For more information go to their website and scroll down to the Teen Volunteer Section.

(Flier in College and Career Center)

What is WUE? (From the WUE website)

WUE (pronounced “woo-wee”) is the Western Undergraduate Exchange, a program of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). Through WUE, students in western states may enroll in more than 150 two-year and four-year college institutions at a reduced tuition level: 150 percent of the institution's regular resident tuition. WICHE member states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Search the WUE Online Database to see which institutions participate and which programs are available at the discounted WUE rate.

Tools:

The Tuition Savings Finder helps students identify reduced tuition opportunities at participating colleges and universities in the West*. Students can browse school profiles, explore WUE-eligible majors, and estimate WUE tuition rates and savings at participating schools.

For more information, go to the their website http://www.wiche.edu/wue/students

Things to Remember

• WUE colleges individually sets their policies and they are all different

• Watch out for details, certain majors are sometimes excluded (nursing and engineering are often excluded)

• Some are automatically given to students if admitted and some students must meet a given criteria

If you go to a public out of state college - you pay a lot more for your tuition than a resident. One way you can cut costs is by choosing a WUE participating institution (others offer non resident scholarships as well). Look at University of Nevada, Reno Tuition with and without WUE:

WUE: $12,645

Resident: $8,430

Nonresident: $26,572

Through WUE You'd Save: $13,927

What is the Difference between Game Design and Game Development? From Gameplan

Game Development and Game Design are two critically important aspects of making a game that go hand in hand with each other. The creative skills of game design can involve writing engaging stories, forming interesting characters, creating rough level designs from concept art, describing and making core gameplay mechanics, and more.
The technical skills of a game developer, also known in the industry as a game programmer, include the knowledge and use of programming languages and game engines to implement the designer’s mechanics properly, adding functionality to an artist’s completed work that a player will experience.

Careers in Game Development and Game Design

Here are just a few of the many different positions you can find within the industry:

Gameplay designer: Every mechanic in the gameplay itself is thought of by the gameplay designers. They are responsible for the core gameplay experience - how fast your character is, how dangerous the enemies are and how you win the game are all factors that are decided and refined by the gameplay designers.

Gameplay programmer: Once the gameplay designers have devised an in-game mechanic, the gameplay programmer will use their technical expertise to see it function as intended.

AI Programmer: Non-player characters (known as NPCs) can be a vital element to many different kinds of video games. Whenever you see a computer controlled component try to beat you in a racing game, or an enemy try to take you down in a fighting game, that is an example of an artificial intelligence programmer’s work.

UX Designer: Short for user experience, a UX designer’s job is to make sure that a game is pleasant and easy to interact with.

QA tester: The primary role of a QA tester, or a Quality Assurance Tester, is to discover and thoroughly report any issues they experience whilst playing the game. They look to find bugs in the game and figure out vital information about them so that the development team can fix it. VFX Artist: VFX stands for visual effects. Unlike graphics programmers who bring the looks of a character to life, or make the world appear exactly as the game designers want, VFX artists work on the finer details.

Animator: Animator's primary role is to take the in-game assets created by the 2D and 3D modeling artists and bring them to life.

Here are two steps to consider in high school to prepare for a career in gaming :

1. Learn Programming

• Languages to Focus On: Start with languages commonly used in game development, such as C++, C#, and Python.

Free Resources: Girls Who Code Codecademy, freeCodeCamp, or Coursera to find beginner courses.

Must be 16 or older to apply

San Carlos Parks and Recreation is looking for individuals who are passionate about giving back to the community, motivated, enthusiastic, and responsible. Engage a fun and positive leadership experience while also having the opportunity to make an impact on kid’s lives. Come join our Parks and Recreation staff as a Recreation Leaders I/II or Program Coordinator in our Summer Camp Programs! Learn more and apply today at https://www.calopps.org/city-of-san-carlos

Goetz Bros. Sporting Goods is looking to hire part-time sales associates. Students usually work 6-10 hours a week, after school and on Saturdays. Sports experience is nice but not a must and no work experience is required. Tasks will include customer service, inventory management and assistance with custom decoration. For more information or to apply contact Brent Goetz, brent@goetzsports.com or 650-366-4082

ELIGIBLE GRADES/AGE: Juniors and Seniors

$17.00 hour Looking for students with good math and reading skills who are available to work approximately 6 - 8 hours per week on Monday and Thursday afternoons. Ideal part time job for high school or college students. Pick up a flier in the College and Career Center

If interested email qualifications and resume to kumonsancarlos@gmail.com

ELIGIBLE AGE/GRADE: 16yr+ (Must have own transportation)

Looking for high school students with exceptional math skills through Algebra I and Geometry to join our team! We offer competitively paid part-time jobs at Sequoia Station with flexible scheduling and ongoing training opportunities. Join us for the opportunity to make a REAL difference in a child’s life by passing on a love for math!

Our starting salaries are $17.00-$19.00 depending on what level of math the instructors can teach.

If interested, please apply online

Pick up a flier in the College and Career Center

CaliforniaColleges.edu provides free college and career planning tools for California public school students and educators, including an academic planner where students can track their A-G completion status and admission eligibility for UC and CSU. CaliforniaColleges.edu also allows students to easily launch and track their applications to UC campuses and for financial aid. Keeping all this information in one place makes the college application process easier and smoother, not only for students, but for their school districts and the campuses to which they are applying.

If you didn’t register for an account last year- see the slide below to register

We want all families to complete this confidential meal application so that qualifying students can receive reduced cost bus passes, internet, prom tickets, grad night tickets, college application fees and IB testing registration. To complete the meal application, click here.

Needs to be completed every year!

Dec 8-14, 2024 COLLEGE TIP: What are the Best Techniques to Help Students Manage Stress? JUNIORS: SAT School Day Sign-up, FINANCIAL AID INFORMATION: Sticker Price vs. What You'll Actually Pay

Dec 15-21, 2024 COLLEGE TIP: There Are Organizations Out There That Need Your Help! CAREER: All about Trade Apprenticeships

Dec 22, 2024-Jan 11, 2025 COLLEGE TIP: It's Not Too Late to Get Involved, FINANCIAL AID: How to Apply to Scholarships, JUNIORS: Sign Up for School Day SAT

SECOND SEMESTER

Jan 12-18, 2025 COLLEGE TIP: Reflect on Who You Are as an Applicant While Updating Your Naviance Resume CAREER: Career in Radiology

Jan 19-25, 2025 COLLEGE TIP- Consider Out of State Colleges, Deadline for Juniors to sign up for Sequoia's School Day SAT