GEAR UP/TEAM FIRST Inc. Partner with SJU for College and Career Symposium

Middle school and high school students packed Carnesecca Arena on Friday as part of the College and Career Symposium, hosted by the University’s Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) and in partnership with St. John’s Athletics and TEAM First, Inc. Red Storm basketball alums Metta World Peace, formerly known as Ron Artest Jr., Tyrone Grant and Tarik Turner returned to the University’s Queens Campus to partake in the second-annual event designed to empower students beginning their college preparation.

St. John’s University President, Conrado “Bobby” Gempesaw, Ph.D., started the day with a warm welcome and delivered an encouraging message to the local youth.

“It’s never too early to explain to the younger generation the importance of college education,” Gempesaw said. “I am very pleased to see so many kids that are here today to experience what it means to be in college. My dreams, hopes and aspirations for them are that 30-45 years from now, one of them will be in my position, encouraging the next generation to attend college.”

Yvette Morgan, Ph.D., Director of GEAR-UP for St. John’s, also addressed the crowd of more than 1,000 students and was the lead administrator responsible in organizing this second annual event as the university embraces its Vincentian Mission of service and education to the younger generation of students in the New York area. Morgan will be hailed later this year by the national organization of GEAR UP at their annual convention this summer for her outstanding work for this cause.

“The purpose of the event was to empower our scholars to begin planning for college now and not waiting until Junior and Senior year in high school,” added Morgan.

Following the opening remarks, students participated in a college and career fair and were treated to a guided campus tour as the visitors got the opportunity to experience the St. John’s Queens campus first hand.

The symposium was capped off with a celebrity panel hosted by Turner, currently a television analyst for FS1 and SportsNet New York (SNY) and member of St. John’s Board of Governors, which featured distinguished guests from a range of professional industries. Metta World Peace, a 17-year NBA veteran who starred at St. John’s from 1997-99, was joined by Amanda Nguyen, Deputy White House Liaison to State Department, Stuart George, Senior Vice President of Equity Trading at Macquarie Investments Management, and Crystal Barnes, Senior Vice President of Global Responsibility and Sustainability for Nielsen.

“Our focus is to empower students to start thinking about their future and going to college and recognizing that it is not too early to start thinking about that now,” Turner said.

“I had a great time here at St. John’s and I really appreciate what is going on here in helping the kids in the area,” said World Peace. “Surrounding yourself with good people will really take you a long way.”

TEAM First Inc. is a Brooklyn-based non-profit organization that was founded by Grant, a former St. John’s basketball captain who lettered from 1996-99. TEAM First Inc. offers a creative strategy of educational advancement through athletics and athletic advancement through education in order to close the inner city academic achievement gap. For more information on TEAM First Inc. visit TEAMFirst.com.