LECANTO, Fla. — Students in Citrus County are getting a head start for life after high school.

The Summer RISE program offers resources, information, support and entry into post-secondary learning opportunities for high school students. The two-day event offers students a variety of tools, from completing college and technical school applications to applying for federal student aid.

They even have the chance to sit down and conduct mock interviews. The goal is to help students launch their lives after high school graduation.

“It is not a project that can be done by one group, one agency or one individual,” said Citrus County Coalition for College and Careers President Patrick Simon. “We have about seven different organizations and multiple volunteers and individuals involved to help us help students.”

Now in its fifth year, the program has been a collaborative effort within the community. Groups like the Suncoast YMCA, the College of Central Florida, the Citrus County Education Foundation and Citrus Schools are all coming together. It has even brought back a few former students who are making strides of their own.

“I just want these kids to get just as much help, if not more, than what we were able to get because it’s just such an amazing opportunity.”

Excitement is buzzing among high school students as they begin to get ready for life after high school. For volunteer Isabella Adams, the feeling is mutual.

“They definitely are training us for the real world,” says Adams. “As nerve-wracking as it was, it was one of the most helpful things I learned while I was here.”

Isabella knows how these students are feeling because she was once in their shoes. Exactly one year ago, she was a student there, sitting opposite an interviewer, learning what it’s like to be hired for a job or accepted into college.

“It was such a learning experience of knowing what questions to expect, knowing how to answer,” said Adams. “They give really good feedback like, ‘OK, maybe phrase your answer this way if you don’t know what to say.’ It’s definitely an important life skill, more than just college.”

Students are split into groups participating in break-out sessions. Sessions led by teachers, each talking about a special topic, from applying for student aid to applying for college.

“It makes you think, ‘OK, I need to get on that campus before I even apply.’ So you’re not wasting money in application fees, you’re not wasting your time being dead set on a school that, when you get there, you decide this is not really my vibe.”

This year, students were in for a pretty big surprise. As all of those students who attended received a free laptop, courtesy of the Citrus County Education Foundation.

“There’s a lot for them to learn, a lot for them to do, and this gives them the opportunity to have access at home and at school,” said Citrus County Education Foundation Executive Director Shaunda Burdette.

That provides these students an extra incentive to reach their potential.

“It’s amazing how much this program has grown in such a short amount of time and I hope it only gets bigger,” said Adams.

It’s all to pave a bright future for not only students, but the community as well. When the program started five years ago, there were 20 students who showed up that first year. This year that number was 137 students.