Many successful business women and men are huge advocates of continuing education especially considering how consistently work industries are changing everyday. Whether it is required or not, continuing education can be important for career satisfaction and can boost confidence and lead to opportunities for career advancement. Continuing education allows individuals to improve their qualifications so that they can advance to higher levels in their profession and generate more revenue, have more flexibility, or take on more responsibilities.
In the end, self-education boils down to your desire to learn new things or improve your skills because each and every encounter you have in your life has something to teach you. However, you must first appreciate those lessons before you can comprehend them.These are concepts that Myles Thomas, the founder of Today’s Community Spotlight: The Inglewood College Preparatory, earnestly understands and promotes daily. Thomas built this school to help aid student- athletes who have aspirations of playing sports on the collegiate and professional level.
The I.C.P offers courses and certifications that enable their students to further develop their skills and knowledge in specific areas of their career or profession. The I.C.P shared with us their mission to make sure their youths get every opportunity possible towards a quality education that is enhanced and ideally facilitated by the rewards of athletic completion at the collegiate and professional levels.
As a mentor, Thomas understands the importance of setting high expectations and hopes to challenge students to identify their own set of goals to achieve success. He operates on the understanding that each student is different but maintaining an academic commitment to excellence is a constant. More importantly, the work that Thomas mirrors to his student-athletes expresses the dedication it takes to achieve their goals. Although they are similar in educational terms, the I.C.P is not a regular institution; all of their courses are provided through a partnership with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and as a result, after graduating from I.C.P, their students are ready to access renowned universities.
The work that the ICP dedicated towards the youth in Inglewood is phenomenal and it reflects how important it is to promote and give back to a community that is forever evolving. We had the pleasure of visiting the Inglewood College Preparatory to see first-hand the inner workings of the school. As we walked through their space, Thomas explained that a constant primary focus for the school, day in and day out , is emphasizing that no matter what path you may take in life, it is important to always to find the time to engage with your community and give back. “Us being here [in Inglewood] is important because we have to give our community more… so we started a private school to keep our students here and give our students opportunities they wouldn’t receive anywhere else.”
Myles goes on to describe that athletically, the school and their graduates have proved themselves beyond capable of managing whatever comes their way, however, he hopes to advance academically as well. He mentions that they had the chance to play schools like Hillcrest Prep, OSL, Arizona Compass, and Donda Academy which happen to be “high major programs that have pros at the next level”. He states “it has been a blessing getting there through athletics, but now we want to do it through academics…the educational part, the academic part, the directional and mentoring part, that is the most challenging.”
The Inglewood College Prepatory is hopeful that through these efforts, their students will prime themselves to become more receptive to new learning experiences in their daily life and never miss another opportunity to grow as an individual. That being said, they look forward to the continuous growth and development of their organization in the upcoming years!
The Inglewood Times applauds the work of I.C.P, and its founder Myles Thomas. His commitment to his craft and his passion for his community is synonymous with the resilient spirit of our city and its people and truly exemplifies what our city of champions is all about.
