Positive Advisers Make True Difference

By Judy Masterson, Lake-County News Sun, Illinois

May 12, 2010

It's good to look into the happy faces of high school seniors who have a plan for their future.

Miguel Miranda and Reyes Silva, both of Round Lake, will attend automotive school. Melissa Larson of Round Lake Beach will study to become a nurse. Amy Maplethorp will also pack her bags for college to explore a career in speech pathology. All will graduate from Round Lake High School on May 22.

These and many other Panther seniors have a brighter future thanks to the Illinois College Advising Corps, which is employing young post-secondary advisers to mentor high school seniors and help them and their parents navigate the complicated road to higher education.

Round Lake High adviser Vanessa Segundo helped students complete the FAFSA -- Free Application for Federal Student Aid -- the scary jumping-off place for anyone who needs financial help to attend college. She has also helped many students apply for local scholarships, an often overlooked source of assistance and especially important for the estimated one in five Round Lake High students who, because they are undocumented, are barred from receiving government-backed student grants and loans.

Applying to college can be difficult, particularly for students whose immigrant parents do not speak English and who, because they are undocumented, are afraid to ask for help and information. But there's a larger problem than paperwork, legal status or even money.

"One of the biggest challenges I have is the low expectations of parents, teachers and even students themselves," Segundo, 23, said. "Students with great potential, who could make it at a selective school, internalize those expectations. We have to raise the bar for those students."

It's sad to see a whip-smart student, one who chalks up a 27 on the ACT and a 3.25 GPA, graduate high school and hit a wall. The program that plunked Segundo into Round Lake High -- "She let us know she's there to help us succeed," said Maplethorp -- is a start to more real happiness come graduation day.