As each school semester progresses, students enrolled within the Center for Advanced Professional Students (CAPS) program from Cedar Falls, Jesup, Denver, Don Bosco, Wapsie Valley, and Columbus Catholic take on the role of associates. Their task is to learn more about project management and process through direct interaction with professionals and real-world assignments in order to prepare them for careers and life after graduation.
Three CAPS associates, Taha Ashar, Kylie Bonorden, and Sofie Peterson in the Cedar Falls CAPS Business Solutions strand, will be working directly with the City of Cedar Falls to create a social media campaign highlighting the activities and destinations that make Cedar Falls a great place to live.
“The campaign is about shining a light on the features and people of our community,” said Cedar Falls Communications Specialist Amanda Huisman. “We want to invite residents to rediscover and engage with the things they love in the area, such as the trails or local business districts, and maybe find something new. Summer is coming and it is the perfect time to get out and enjoy Cedar Falls.”
Providing an opportunity for associates to interact with professionals has always been a top priority for the CAPS program. Associates will work closely with Huisman who will give direct feedback on their professional skills as well as management of the project.
“Our associates are asked to grow in four pivotal areas during their time with us,” said CAPS Instructor Chris Wood, “These points of focus are innovation, problem-solving, professional skills, and career exploration.”
“COVID has challenged our associates similarly to the rest of the working world. We have had to learn to pivot, work in new ways, and be creative when seeking out client projects. The City of Cedar Falls has provided our program a great opportunity to engage in our community and with professionals who have provided a project worth making an impact on.”
CAPS and the City of Cedar Falls social media campaign is set to run in the month of April and will be featured on the City of Cedar Falls Facebook and Twitter pages @citycf as well as their Instagram page @cedar_falls_iowa. More information on the CAPS program can be found on their website at www.cedarvalleycaps.org.
About the CAPS Program:
The Cedar Valley Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CV CAPS) program is a consortium of local school districts including Cedar Falls CSD, Columbus Catholic, Denver CSD, Don Bosco Catholic, Jesup CSD, and Wapsie Valley CSD. CAPS is an innovative high school elective course that takes students outside of the traditional classroom for half their day, each day for an entire semester. Associates are immersed in professional environments to develop problem-solving and professional skills to work on real projects for real business clients. This experience, along with focused development on career exploration, helps prepare each associate for their purpose beyond their life as a student. CV CAPS is an example of how business, community, and education can partner to produce personalized learning experiences that educate the workforce of tomorrow, especially in high-skill, high-demand jobs.
The core mission of the Cedar Valley Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) is to prepare students for their purpose. Career exploration is pivotal in this process. Due to COVID-19, the Cedar Valley-based program has taken advantage of virtual opportunities, identifying nationally known professionals to speak to associates.
The CAPS program director is Ethan Wiechmann. To learn more about CAPS and its national network, please visit www.cfcaps.org