On Sunday, June 29, the What’s Next? Initiative will bring the inaugural “Beyond the Cap & Gown: Navigating What’s Next” workshop and panel to Troy. 

The initiative was founded by Charles Henderson High School graduate Ashlyn Franklin, who currently attends Alabama A&M University. 

“This initially started as a passion project when I was in Huntsville for college,” Franklin said. “I realized there was just so much I didn’t know. When I would talk to friends, I would realize they were in the same boat as me, especially when it came to things like an elevator pitch, having a proper resume, interview skills and so much stuff that we felt unprepared for.”

The workshop, which is free to high school students and recent high school graduates, will offer help with resume building, tips on interviewing, peer mentorship and tips on attire to wear at work and at job fairs. 

“Most times when people come to talk to you about these next steps (in life), they’re trying to get you somewhere,” Franklin said. “Military recruiters will grab you and try to get you to join the military. College recruiters are trying to get you to come to their school. There’s nothing personal about it. What do you actually want? That’s why I started the ‘What’s Next? Initiative.’ I wanted an outlet for all students to have someone to talk to, so there is a mentor aspect to it.”

The workshop will also host a panel with Franklin and a number of local high school graduates. These panelists include Franklin and fellow Charles Henderson graduates Sterling Sharp, Jywon Boyd, Zach Coleman and Malaysia McCullough. Boyd is a football player at Troy University and McCullough attends Gadsden State Community College. Sharp works at Lockheed Martin and Coleman brings experience in both college and the workforce. Local social worker TchanaviaToney will also be a part of the panel.

“Most of the time you only see the finish line and you don’t see what it took to get there,” Franklin said. “I wanted to make sure that all of my helpers and the panelists were young people because I know that sometimes it’s hard to listen to someone that is way older than you and you feel like, ‘They’re just telling me what to do again.’ We are all young people that just went through this and are currently still going through this. We’re just here to share knowledge that we’ve learned and pass it on to the next group of people.” 

Also, Franklin said she feels it’s important that students also know that college isn’t for everyone and that’s okay.

“So many students may start in college but then realize maybe it isn’t for them,” she continued. “That’s okay and someone needs to be able to tell students that it’s okay. It’s okay if you go to college and realize maybe you want to go into a different direction. 

“There are so many paths in life and I feel like everyone needs an outlet to share what’s going on in their heads. It’s okay to not know and it’s okay to switch directions when you realize it’s time to do that.”

Franklin said it was important to start the initiative in her hometown. 

“I’m from Troy and I graduated from Charles Henderson, so I know these students here may have the same mindset as me when they go onto the next phase,” she said. “So, I wanted to bring it back to my hometown and start it here. I want to allow them first access and share the knowledge that we’ve learned, things we didn’t know when we were in their shoes, because these are my peers. We look out for each other in Troy.” 

The event begins at 3 p.m. and lasts until 6 p.m. on June 29 at Hideaway Events in Troy and is completely free for all attendees. To RSVP click here.