Juniors and Families, October 25th, 2023

It was wonderful to see many of you at our Fall Junior Postsecondary night a couple of weeks ago. If you were unable to make it, please use this link to view the slides from the presentation.

One of the big things I want to ensure that all students and families know is that I often use the terms 'college' and 'postsecondary' interchangeably. In my counseling practice, when I talk about 'college' what I am always referring to is ANY type of postsecondary education - not just 4-year college. The Care Forward Colorado and Career Advance Colorado programs at the bottom of this newsletter are great examples of postsecondary educational opportunities that I am super excited to connect students to that do not involve a 4-year degree.

Last week during Humanities, I began discussing college/postsecondary fit with the Juniors. We dove into the idea that there are two sides to the postsecondary search process:

1. What the colleges are looking for
2. What the student is looking for.

When we find where the college's desires overlap with the student's desires, we are able to identify schools that are a good fit.

For this lesson, we focused only on what colleges are looking for and Selectivity: that colleges are looking for different things from students based on how selective (or rejective) they are. Students were then tasked with summarizing their own individual academic profile using this worksheet and using it to determine which type (s) of institutions they will be a good fit for based on their own profile. I use this worksheet to inform my individual meetings with Juniors. Ask your student to share their academic profile with you to start a discussion about college fit!

Next time, we will dive into what the students are looking for in a college.

Finally,

Elliot and I have each been meeting individually with Juniors about LINK and postsecondary planning.

During my postsecondary planning meetings, I discuss the following:

• Your Academic Profile - What are colleges looking for? (also transcript review and credit check)

You have categorized yourself as a good fit for the following types of schools (selectivity, etc.):

• What you're looking for in a college:
• Postsecondary goals and plans right now:
• What to focus on and actions steps to take to work toward your postsecondary goals/plans until we meet again in the Spring:
• TO DO

November 14th: Southern Ute Career Fair

All Juniors will travel with Elliot and me to the Southern Ute Career Fair at the SkyUte Casino Resort from 9:30-1:30 to take advantage of the opportunity to conduct informational interviews with professionals at the fair as well as gain ideas for LINK and talk to colleges. Attendance is mandatory and students who are absent will be counted as absent from their core classes for that day. Students may drive themselves to Ignacio, but must caravan with the bus and stay for the duration of the time that we are there.

Wow! It has been a busy month of appplying to college for our seniors! We had over 30 seniors attend our college and cupcakes event last week and more than 50 college applications were submitted for free!

Juniors will have the opportunity to apply to colleges in Colorado for free (without paying application fees) next year in October during Colorado Free Application days.

Our goal is to make applying to college as low stress as possible: Elliot and I were on hand to assist students with submitting their applications and Hallie Denman from the FLC admissions office also assisted students with submitting their FLC apps.

Upcoming College and Career Events

10/31: Western CO University in-person visit to AHS @ 9:00am

11/1: Continuing FLC Dual enrollment registration @ 9:00am

11/10: FLC VIP tour for all Juniors and informational interview practice

11/14: Field trip to Southern Ute Career Fair for informational interviews

11/16: PCC offsite course registration @ 2:30-4:00

11/28: New FLC Dual enrollment advising/registration @ 12:00pm

College & Career Events Calendar

Dual/Concurrent Enrollment

Interested in taking college classes away from AHS campus next semester at PCC or FLC for college and AHS elective credit? Please take a look at this email to find out how to make it happen!

Financial Aid & Scholarships

From our member schools

We've collected upcoming events from our Coalition member schools are hosting with the goal of explaining the financial aid process and answering students' and student supporters' questions. All are welcome at the following events (click the event to register):

• Nov. 1: Stockton University | Financing Your Education
• Nov. 2: Colby College | Affording College: Financial Aid Session
• Nov. 16: Stony Brook University | Financial Aid Basics

FAFSA

FAFSA Completion is now a Graduation Requirement at AHS

At Spring Junior postsecondary night, we will do a deep dive into financial aid and how to pay for postsecondary education. We will also be doing a financial aid case study event in the Spring to help students and families better understand the importance of filing the FAFSA and how the financial aid process works.

Stay tuned!

October/November resources for 11th-graders from the College Essay Guy:



• PSAT: Take the exam and get a feel for what SAT Test Day will be like. Your score will help highlight your test-taking strengths and areas for improvement, and will inform your test-prep plan moving forward.
• How to create a college list (with tracking spreadsheet): Use this guide and organizing tool to begin building a list of schools that you’re excited about.
• How to research schools without visiting a campus: You don’t need to step on a college campus to begin researching schools. Here are four resources that will show you how.
• Going test optional: What is it? Confused about whether or not test scores matter? Here’s an overview of what you need to know.
• FairTest: Looking for a comprehensive list of colleges and universities with test-optional admission policies? Here you go.
• Dealing with learning differences? Researching the available support services and programs will be a critical part of your list building. Learn the differences between accommodations in high school and services offered at colleges.

The Small Town and Rural Students (STARS) College Network is dedicated to working with high schools and access organizations to widen pathways to higher education for rural and small-town students.

Upcoming events (click to register):

Are you interested in construction, education, early childhood education, firefighting, law enforcement, or nursing?

• The Career Advance Colorado program provides free training for in-demand jobs through

the state’s 19 community and technical colleges.

• Starting in August 2023, students who enroll in qualifying programs will have tuition, fees,

course materials, and other costs completely covered while program funding is available.

• Students must apply for federal and/or state financial aid to enroll in a Career Advance

Colorado program.

Article: Pueblo Community College offers tuition-free options for high demand jobs

Are you interested? Meet with Erin CR to discuss next steps!

Starting in Fall 2022, students who enroll in one of the following healthcare certificate programs will have tuition, fees, and course materials covered as Care Forward Colorado funding allows.

• Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
• Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
• Phlebotomy Technician
• Pharmacy Technician
• Medical Assistant
• Dental Assistant
• Nurse Refresher
• Integrative Health Practitioner & Massage Therapy
• Sterile Processing
• Paramedic Certificate
• Echocardiography Certificate
• Medical Billing and Coding
• Medical Office Certificate

Are you interested? Meet with Erin CR to discuss next steps!

ore InfSunday, November 12, 2023, 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM

2023 Virtual College Fair -NovemberM

INTERNSHIP/EMPLOYMENT & other OPPORTUNITIES:

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY FOR COLORADO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

About the program: For over 60 years, the U.S. Senate Youth Program (USSYP) has brought together leaders from across the government with students from around the country for a week designed to prepare young people for civic leadership. USSYP is currently accepting applications for its 2024 program. 

Who can apply: High school juniors and seniors with leadership positions in student government, civic, or educational organizations are encouraged to apply. The deadline to apply is October 20.

More information about the Senate Youth Program is available HERE.

LINK opportunity

OUTDOOR LEADERSHIP LINK

Through this three-week outdoor leadership internship, students will learn how to be

leaders in outdoor recreation and beyond, complete a meaningful service project, learn

from mentors in a variety of fields relevant to student interests in leadership,

environmental studies and/or outdoor education AND apply newly gained skills in

planning and implementing a robust outdoor-based orientation for next year’s freshmen

class.

Applications are open until filled

T O L E A R N M O R E

E M A I L A S H L E Y . C A R R U T H @ A N I M A S H I G H S C H O O L . C O M

Erin Cummins-Roper (she/her)

Director of Career & College Counseling  

Animas High School |Tel: (970) 247-2474 | x2335 | Cell: 970-903-1617

www.animashighschool.com 

Schedule an appointment with me!

Office hours:

T/TH 1:00pm-3:00pm

Fridays: 9:00am-12:00pm

Financial aid and scholarship help every Friday 12:00pm-3:00pm