Student focus groups, anti-vape contest and job fair among Ally Nissenzi’s updates to GEI advisory committee

At the North Kingstown GEI advisory meeting on Feb. 11, Ally Nissenzi, the committee’s equity and engagement lead, summarized recent outreach and wellness activities that are planned for the spring semester.

Ally said the committee held the first student focus group — a solutions-oriented session run with student government that included about seven students — and she plans a larger set of focus groups the week after February break to broaden representation. "They were very solutions oriented, open-ended questions," Ally said, and she will compile summaries from all groups and share them with administrators.

Ally also outlined wellness and outreach initiatives: an anti-vaping poster contest will kick off the week after February break (Feb. 25–26), with trifold materials produced by CTE students and bilingual posters for committee distribution. Brown University’s health team will present to every elementary school during the week of March 16–20.

On workforce and CTE outreach, Ally said a job fair is planned for April 15 from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. There will be a room for junior and senior-focused employer recruitment (16-plus), plus a separate area for summer employment where representatives from the recreation department will recruit counselors and seasonal staff. Ally said she is coordinating with the chamber and CTE employers such as Torrey Plastics to match students to internships and apprenticeships.

The committee praised Ally’s rapid engagement and asked members to email contacts or follow up on suggested partners for inclusive hiring placements for students with disabilities.