Carla Holloman Interview: Preparing Your High School Freshman for College and Career

As "Free College Week" is underway, we sat down in a telephone interview with a parent Carla Holloman about her method of raising a College and Career ready Teen!

As a social worker for Mecklenburg County and parent of David Williams, a 14 year old freshman at Cox Mill High School, Carla Holloman seems to have a pretty good understanding of what it takes to get her son College and Career Ready.

The single mother stated that "preparing David for his future career started as early as the age of four!" Check out our interview below:

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Charlotte TEEN: Tell us about David!

Carla: OMG, David is Awesome! My child has a very jovial spirit and is very manner-able. In his spare time he loves to play video and computer games, while thinking of how to build his own and how to make games better.

Although he does not like playing sports much, he loves watching sports. He is very knowledgeable when it comes to talking about stats and plays.

Outside of school, he loves to volunteer to help others. He serves every week at church and he also enjoys serving the homeless as well as those struggling with substance abuse. And he absolutely, loves it!

Charlotte TEEN: What does David want to do after he graduates from High School?

When David graduates from High School, he wants to go to college to become an engineer, but he is still exploring which type.

Charlotte TEEN: How did you know which activities put David in as a child?

Carla: Every since David was a small child, people always thought that he should excel at football but I knew my son and I knew that football was not the answer. We actually, tried the football and sports thing, but it never really worked out! David seemed to enjoy doing things like playing video games and math related activities.

Even though people pressured me to put my son in different sports activities, I had to listen to my child. Sports works well for a lot of children but my son was interested in something completely different. So rather than forcing him into an activity that didn't fit him, I encouraged him to embrace his love for math.

Charlotte TEEN: When did you discover David's interest and talents in math?

Carla: I distinctly remember teaching David how to add in subtract at a very young age using marbles at our kitchen table, and he caught on so quickly! At that moment I knew that my kid was a math whiz.

Charlotte TEEN: What advice would you give parents who are helping their teen discover the college and career choices?

Carla: Have conversations with your child and begin noticing their gifts and talents when they're young! And, start to groom their natural talent and interest, rather than pushing your child into a direction of things that you want for them and what society labels them!

Charlotte TEEN: How are you preparing David for College and Career?

Carla: Well, I reflect on the things that David enjoyed through out his life and I expose him to the College and Career options that are in line with his gifts and interest. As a parent I have to listen to my son and aid him in finding the College and Career that is best for him!

Charlotte TEEN: What are some of the things that you have done to prepare David for College?

Carla: Starting at the beginning of David's High School career we sat down with David's counselor and had a conference, where we were very intentional about mapping David's High School Career. The objective of our meeting was to create a vision for David, so that he knows the end goal and his time in high school is used wisely.

And, I plan on meeting with his counselors and teachers on a regular basis to make sure that he stays on track!

So far, David has earned all A's and B's in his first quarter of High School!

Looks like David is well on his way! We'll be looking forward to hearing more about his greatness!