NSCC offers guidance to high school students

LYNN – Divine Builou wants to launch her own fashion business after she graduates from Classical High School and she thinks North Shore Community College will be a stop on her way to meeting that goal.Builou spent part of Tuesday in the college?s gymnasium with 70 other high school students listening to college faculty, business owners and students outline why North Shore is the place to get what Lynn Vocational Technical Institute student Felicita Chavez called “a base for everything I want to do.”Chavez wants to produce films and, like Builou, she knows she needs finance and accounting knowledge before she can start a business. Classical senior Andree Giron wants to study business management in college and he liked North Shore Professor Dianne McDermott Cerasuolo?s explanation for why it makes sense to attend North Shore.?We have leading-edge courses and small class sizes. I know all of my students and what they want to do,” she said.Billed as a business career day, the Tuesday morning seminar took aim at introducing prospective North Shore students to business and finance study programs offered by the college.Giron said North Shore?s $550 per class tuition is one of the reasons he is thinking about attending the college and using it as a springboard to transfer to a four-year school. He wants start a business.?I don?t want to work for other people too long,” he said.Cerasuolo said North Shore has hosted introductory seminars in the past, but this is the first year faculty members, business leaders and college students have participated in the event.Saugus resident Peter Colarusso was one of the business speakers at Tuesday?s event. He has talked to high school students previously about how the college fits into personal recipes for success.A specialist in helping small businesses rebound into profitability, Colarusso emphasizes the value of learning decision-making, communications and planning skills.?I turn it around on them: You can be whatever you want to be, but you?ve got to gut it out,” he said of his presentation to students.Tech graphic arts student Sebastian Garcia already has a plan to start his own clothing line and he thinks North Shore?s emphasis on small classes matches his goal. Builou knows she needs management and accounting skills before she makes her dream a reality.?What is interesting about this school is they help you,” she said.