I used to be too shy for public speaking,” says Nicole Kagan, 16, a sophomore at High School North. “I don’t worry anymore.” On March 12 she graduated from Generation Next, the Dale Carnegie Training program for teens, offered for the first time in the Central New Jersey area.##M:[more]##
The program, an eight-session course, focuses on life skills including problem solving, goal setting, building self-confidence, and attitude management. The program challenged its participants to become effective leaders and aims to minimize stress with college applications, job interviews, and personal relationships.
“I recently talked to my American Studies and Language Arts classes and was not tongue-tied,” she says. “Practicing and speaking in front of the class (Dale Carnegie) helped.”
“The third week we had to talk about a something that we really liked and could bring a prop,” says Kagan, a member of the varsity soccer team at school. She’s been playing soccer since she was four and is also on a travel team.
Born in Boston, her family moved to Plainsboro when she was three. Her parents, Natasha and Michael, are both chemists at Wyeth Research. They moved from Russia with their other daughter, now 33, and son, now 23, just before Nicole was born.
Nicole also plays tennis and enjoys running. She is a student council representative and a member of the social service club, Interact. A piano player since she was six, she studies with Glafria Yursit and plays at Windrows once a month for community service.
“I didn’t want to take the class but my mother had just taken one and signed me up,” she says. “The course was not life changing, but it was interesting and a lot of fun.”
The course designed for individuals of high school or college age costs $995. Visit www.centralnj.dalecarnegie.com or call 609-324-9200 for information.
