College: I’m Here - Now What??

What to expect and how to prepare for the first year of college.

Received college acceptance letter: Check!  Attended college’s student orientation: Check!

Now what?

Join author Valarie Austin as she answers questions about that first year of college. She will lead a frank discussion about what to expect and how to prepare for the all-important first year! You may have heard that failing to plan is planning to fail. Valarie Austin will help you to plan to succeed in that entry to adult life known as college!

Valarie Austin. Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) U.S. Army, is a career and college readiness author, blogger and trainer. Her college readiness book, “The Student's Comprehensive Guide for College & Other Life Lessons,” is featured on Amazon.com and various book outlets. Valarie is a prolific and successful professional speaker. She has presented career and college readiness workshops to high school students, college students and parents at many venues. She has been a featured speaker at the 2021 VeteransBizUp! Conference, providing career development guidance. She also publishes career and college readiness articles on LinkedIn and other outlets.

In addition, she has been interviewed for the Maryland STEM Podcast, Wealth Academy Podcast and the Phil Shapiro Book Review Podcast. Valarie
hosts a career exploration series entitled Employer Speaks on YouTube. She is a member of the Maryland Writers’ Association, Toastmasters International and the Maryland Career Development Association.

Austin attended and graduated from the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY and commissioned as an Army officer after her graduation. She held a myriad of foreign and domestic military assignments, including a position as  Assistant Professor of Military
Science, Army ROTC at Georgetown University (DC)  She served from 1990-1991 in
a support role for Operation Desert Shield/Operation Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia and Iraq and retired from the Army after 21 years of military service.

Education: Bachelor of Science, United States Military Academy; Masters of Public Administration,
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Associate of Applied Science, Montgomery College (MD); and
Bachelor of Science, University of Maryland-College Park

MCPL provides many resources to help you in your journey to success, but you need a library card! Don't have a card right now?  No worries! Find out how to get a library card! 

Questions about this program? Contact the Library at 240-777-0678. 

Accommodation Requests

People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing should request English-language captioning or sign-language interpretation at least five days before the library-sponsored program they plan to attend. Contact the Assistant Facilities and Accessibility Program Manager at 240-777-0002 with all other accommodation requests.

cm 1.1 01/03/2023

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