Many students struggle with the college and job application process. It may be daunting for many students and families during such an important time, but no fret, the College and Career Center is here to help. The center offers a variety of different events and sessions, as well as one-on-one consultations, to help students prepare for college applications and find career resources.
The College and Career Resource Center relocated its space to rooms 2005 and 2010 this summer to be closer to the Student Services wing of the school.
Throughout the year, they host around 200 college representatives to meet with students. The center also hosts a number of writing workshops for seniors on personal statements and supplemental essays, as well as a series of workshops on financial aid to better understand the cost of college.
This year, the center has introduced a brand new pilot program on Wednesdays, due to the short periods. Seniors can now talk to their counselor about putting Senior Seminar on their schedule to engage in a weekly step-by-step process of the common application. Senior Kelly Quach is signed up for Senior Seminar this year.
“[The Center] definitely helps you clear your mind of all the questions you have,” Quach said. “Ms. [Giuletti-Schmitt] is there, all these counselors are there. They know things about college, helping you figure it out as you go, so you won’t be alone.”
Many seniors spend their free periods in the College and Career Resource Center. College and Career Counselor Allegra Giuletti-Schmitt explains that the college application process is a tedious, confusing one, which sometimes can be difficult for families with first-generation college-goers.
[T]he biggest benefit that I’ve seen is just students knowing that they have support here and knowing that they have a place to go to ask whatever questions come up.
— Allegra Giuletti-Schmitt, College and Career Counselor
“We have a pretty large first-generation population, meaning that their parents or guardians at home didn’t graduate from college or didn’t graduate from college in the United States,” Giuletti-Schmitt said. “And so it’s very complex, and there’s a lot of steps that maybe someone at home doesn’t know how to help [their student] navigate and support them with. So I would say that’s the biggest benefit that I’ve seen is just students knowing that they have support here and knowing that they have a place to go to ask whatever questions come up.”
The center also helps students decide on career paths. This year, newly appointed Career Counselor Kia Pickett is dedicated to helping students choose the right career path for students, through internships, job shadowings, volunteer hours, and trade school programs.
Even if a student is heading down the college path, Pickett can help students find interest in what they might want to go to school for.
“I think it’s so important that our goal is to have every student that graduates from Niles North or Niles West, from the district in total, to have some type of career path,” Pickett said. “I’m not talking about a job, but something that will kind of potentially take care of themselves, after high school, post-secondary.”
Pickett held the position as a high school counselor at North before transitioning to this new role, which she’s very excited about.
I want to be that person that they can come in and have these conversations [with] and then we can sit down and create a plan and make sure that they follow through with that plan.
— Kia Pickett, Career Counselor
“I’m excited to help students kind of find their way in life. I think a lot of times, we have students that absolutely know what they want to do freshman year… And then you have students that don’t know what in the world they want to do from freshman year to senior year,” Pickett said. “So I want to kind of help fill in those gaps. I want to be that person that they can come in and have these conversations [with] and then we can sit down and create a plan and make sure that they follow through with that plan.”
Students can reach out to Giuletti-Schmitt ([email protected]) through drop-in at the center and Pickett through email ([email protected]).
