New school position focuses on college

By Deneesha Edwards
The Dispatch, Lexington, NC

September 15, 2009

Students in the Lexington and Thomasville city school systems were introduced to a college advising counselor this school year.

As a member of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill College Advising Corps, Whitney McLaughlin will work at both Thomasville and Lexington Senior high schools.

“It’s been going really well,” McLaughlin, 22, said. “I’m enjoying the students and trying to get to know them. I love my job.”

Her goal will be to help low-income, first-generation and underrepresented students apply for college and financial aid.

“I’m trying to get kids excited and interested in college,” she said. “The focus will be getting kids scholarships and focusing on the students’ interests. The goal is not just about getting them in school, it’s about finding the best fit for them.”

The advising corps is one of 14 partnerships in the National College Advising Corps that places UNC graduates as college advisers in low-income high schools across the state. Funding for the position came from a grant from DavidsonWorks.

“Davidson County is one of the newest sites,” McLaughlin said. “I really like the energy.”

McLaughlin, who is originally from Southern Pines, graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a minor in creative writing.

She hopes to gain a meaningful, hands-on experience while working in the schools and develop effective strategies for better serving students at the high school level.

Many of her duties will include helping students register for the SAT, finding scholarship opportunities and assisting students in finding the right college and major for them.

At Thomasville High, McLaughlin noted when a registration blitz was held 60 seniors signed up to take the SAT.

“A lot of them don’t know where to begin,” she said. “I’m trying to incorporate myself into the classrooms and trying to make myself visible.”

McLaughlin will work closely with guidance counselors and personnel at both high schools to create programs that will meet the needs of the students. That entails helping students research and apply to a variety of two- and four-year colleges or universities.

She’s at Lexington on Mondays and Tuesdays and at Thomasville on Wednesdays and Thursdays. She rotates between the schools every other Friday.

Greg Newlin, principal at LSHS, described McLaughlin as a personal college coach.

He said with her just graduating and being young, she’s tuned into everything, which makes it easier for her to relate to students.

“She has the knowledge, people skills and a special way with the young people,” he said. “She’s just a wonderful addition.”

Deneesha Edwards can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 213, or at deneesha.edwards@the-dispatch.com.