Program sends graduates back to high school

June 26, 2008, The Daily Tar Heel, Chapel Hill, NC-After a successful first year, the Carolina College Advising Corps is sending 19 recent UNC-Chapel Hill graduates back to high school this fall.

The program, mirrored after the University of Virginia's College Guide Program, aims to help low-income, minority and first-generation students apply and enroll in college.

The Carolina Corps belongs to the National College Advising Corps, a partnership of 12 colleges and universities funded in part by a $10 million grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.

While each school administers its program differently, all schools follow the same core model: using recent college graduates to advise high school students about their options after graduation.

The advisers often come from the same background as the students, which helps them speak to and identify with the concerns of the students, said Wendy Jebens, project coordinator of the Carolina Corps and assistant director of admissions.

Nicole Hurd, executive director of the National Corps and founder of the UVa. program, agreed.

"You can empower students by having recent graduates give their own stories," Hurd said. "It tells them, 'If I could afford to go to Carolina, then you can, too,' or 'I was a first-generation student, you can be one, too.'"

Last year, four advisers served in eight North Carolina high schools. Jebens said those schools reported seeing more students go on to college and more scholarships than ever.

Created last year with a $1 million grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, the Carolina Corps was able to expand to 19 advisers in 38 schools across the state this year with additional funding from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the Annie Penn Community Trust and the Golden LEAF Foundation.

Carolina Corps advisers must have graduated from UNC in the past two years. After serving for a school year, they can return for a second year.

Tyra Johnson, who will be the adviser for Northampton County High School-West and Weldon High School in northeastern North Carolina in the fall, viewed her job as an opportunity to give back.

When she was in high school, Johnson said she saw many peers who were intimidated by college because they didn't think they had the talent or the grades to succeed.

"Now I can help students in the same position," Johnson said. "Let them know about the resources available and help them use them."

Dexter Robinson, who will return to Graham Central and Hugh M. Cummings high schools in the fall, stressed that not every student necessarily wants to go to college.

"We help each individual student pursue his dream, college or not," Robinson said. "My goal is to have every student have a plan when they leave high school."

Robinson handed out candy at one of his school's first home football game last year to let students know about him. Later in the year, he invited representatives from local businesses to go into classes and talk to students about how they got started in their fields.

"The program is really about helping the people of North Carolina fulfill their own dreams," Hurd said. "We're just lucky to be part of that process."

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.