UT grads go back to high school

University program trains alumni as college advisers for schools in need

By Jennifer Ifebi, Daily Texan Staff, Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Students in some of the state’s high schools will benefit this year from a new University program that trains recent UT graduates to become college advisers in under-served schools.

Already operating in 13 states and 15 schools across the nation, the National College Advising Corps has set up a Texas branch, which will place 16 advisers in high-need schools in Houston, San Antonio and the Rio Grande valley. The corps originated at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2008.

The Texas College Advising Corps, which received private and public grants for the project, is a part of the UT System’s Institute for Public School Initiatives created in 2004.

Program coordinator Emily Watson said hiring young graduates will most likely help high school students relate to the advisers, who are allowed to serve for up to two years.

“Because they’re close in age with the students, they may be able to reach the students more than Matt [Orem, director of the Texas branch] and I,” she said.

Watson said the program plans to expand to different parts of the state next year, going from 16 to 120 advisers.

UT alumnus Jacob Pietsch started his first year as an adviser with the program at Westbury High School in Houston with a student body of 2,000. As a first-generation college graduate, he wanted to spend more one-on-one time with students, he said, adding that the average time a counselor gets to speak with a graduating senior about college options is about 20 minutes.

“My counselors were always busy and it was always hard to grab a hold of them,” he said. “I had to do a lot of self-searching.”

Those involved in the corps are also tasked with planning parent and family events that promote a college-going culture — a major task considering that some students come from “an unstable home,” said UT alumna D’andrea Young, an adviser who works at Booker T. Washington High School in Houston.

She said the corps’ job is to educate students on what they need to do to apply to colleges and receive financial aid, such as applying for SAT fee waivers.

“I know the fear and anxiety these students have,” she said. “I wish I had someone to help me. I can’t even begin to explain how much I love my job. I’ve only been working here for two weeks.”