Downstairs, by the library and nurses office, there is a small room filled with college flags, a laptop cart, two peppy advisers and wishful thinking. This room is the College and Career Center.
The College and Career Center is lead by Sarah Simmons, a former English teacher turned college adviser.
“I felt like I needed something new,” Simmons said.
Simmons is assisted by Ivanna Krippa this year. Krippa was placed Akins through a program that aids schools with college application or anything related to college.
“I grew up in a family where college wasn’t a culture,” Krippa said. “I wanted to help students get ready for college and open path ways for them.
This year the College and Career Center has set many goals.
“I would like to raise the amount of senior applying to a college,” Simmons said.
“But, I would really like to see the exact number of senior applying to a four year university grow. Last year, around 45% of seniors applied to a four-year university. It would be amazing if it was closer to fifty.”
Another goal of the College and Career Center is to have more students earn scholarships.
“When I was growing up, we worried about having money for small things and when I went to college I was on my own,” Krippa said. “I wish I would have know you don’t have to be in college to get scholarships. They make such a huge difference.”
Helping students is something that Simmons and Krippa do on a daily basis.
“I went in during my lunch,” senior Vanessa Montoya. “They helped me do some things on an application and tell you how to do something at home if you run out of time.”
Although the College and Career Center may look busy, Simmons is always ready to help.
“I’ve learned to eat with one hand, reply to emails with the other, and help a student all the same time,” Simmons said.
The CCC is open Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and closes at 4:15 p.m. on Fridays. They are also open both lunches, everyday.
“We have a lot of college nights in the evening this year so student’s can get help,” Simmons said. “We also have “Late Start, Head Starts” on Thursdays for seniors.”
The CCC also had a summer boot camp for seniors.
“It was great and helped a lot,” senior Montoya said. “We were taught how to use Naviance and how to apply to colleges.”
Last year, the senior class had 41% complete a FAFSA or TAFSA.
“I would really like to have 50% of this years senior class have financial aid completed,” Simmons said.
Simmons biggest hope is that underclassmen would realize how close senior year really is.
“You only have three years to set yourself up for college,” Simmons said. “Three years to set a GPA, and a class rank. Senior year is about getting ready and applying for college.”