Webster University's campus in Accra, Ghana, reached out to high school counselors
across the country with a half-day workshop around the theme, "Counseling in the 21st
Century."
The event was designed to inform the counselors, support their efforts and strengthen relationships between them and Webster University.
The interactive workshop featured two main keynote speakers: celebrated counselor and trainer Nancy Keteku, the regional educational advising coordinator for Africa, U.S. State Department; and Rose Walls, Webster faculty member and resident director, University of California Education Abroad Program.
Giving the welcome address, Christa E. Sanders, Webster Ghana campus director, gave a brief history of Webster and a general overview of the academic mission and future of the Ghana Campus. She also outlined the objectives of the workshop
The workshop touched on the difficult challenges counselors go through. They were then introduced to the latest methodology in counseling students.
Keteku took the counselors through counseling students on "University Choice." She mentioned that students who decide to study in the United States tend to have strong leadership and communication skills. When they return home, they return with grand plans for the future. Having developed impeccable analytical, problem solving skills, they are quick to start businesses and create new, innovative opportunities.
In her session, Walls took counselors on a step-by-step approach in counseling students who are preparing to study locally, or abroad, in pursuit of higher education. She entreated counselors to encourage students to cultivate intercultural and global competence when they decide to travel abroad for higher learning.
Other members of the Webster faculty contributed to the workshop, including Shiza Khan and Marquita Smith, both of whom took turns enlightening the counselors on career opportunities in management and media communication, respectively.
Academic director Michael Williams, and International Relations Department head Leonard Suransky also spoke to the counselors about careers in computer science and international relations, respectively.
The workshop, an initiative of the Enrollment Department, is the first in a series of workshops designed to support efforts of high school counselors. The team looks forward to creating more platforms for counsellors to interact with Webster’s faculty and staff.
The maiden edition drew over 20 counselors from the country’s prestigious high schools.