Panel Explores Translating Potential Into Success

How to afford college, balance a budget, and choose a career were all topics at a recent workshop "Translating Potential into Success" hosted by Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing) and Flushing's Ebenezer Baptist Church last Thursday.

The event was geared toward young adults who were applying to college or preparing to launch a career.

It featured a panel of men and women of color who had achieved career success in seven diverse fields, including government, education, information technology, corporate, legal, non-profit and faith-based. Around 60 people attended the event; all but a handful of them older than the target age group.

Meng said that such programs were sorely needed. "It's hard to be a young person of color these days," she said, adding, "Programs are constantly being cut and under funded."

She said that in about 50 percent of schools superintendents were being forced to either cut or eliminate extracurricular programming, due to a sequester in Washington. "The Republicans must understand that we cannot callously reduce funding at the expense of our children," she said.