From Left: West Houston P-16 council president Maggie Cuellar, UHD Freshman Kimberly Batres, and West Houston P-16 council president-elect Kathleen Anzivino.

At Wednesday's West Houston P-16 Council meeting, UHD freshman Kimberly Batres spoke on the challenges of transitioning from high school. Batres and three other graduates of Alief and Spring Branch ISD high schools participated in a panel discussion about their experiences in the first semester of college.

The P-16 Council meets quarterly to discuss education-related issues that affect the academic careers of West Houston students from preschool through college and university.

The student panel at last week's meeting was organized to help council members understand the unique challenges students face as they begin their college careers. Some of the questions the panel addressed included:

• "What challenges did you encounter your freshman year of college?"
• "What skills did you find to be beneficial to your success after high school?"
• "Do you feel that the courses you had in high school adequately prepared you for college?"
• "While in high school, who do you feel had the ability to have a profound effect on your future?"
• "Did you encounter any real-world experiences that prepared you for your post-secondary goals?"

The student panel discussed the challenges of being first-generation college students, scheduling courses, and getting academic help. They all agreed that university life is more challenging than high school, but well worth the effort.

The West Houston P-16 Council meeting was held in the Eagle Room of the Houston Community College-Northwest campus, at Interstate 10 and Beltway 8.