Student Adviser Dexter Robinson Shows Way to Higher Education

October 28, 2008, America.gov - By Jeffrey Thomas

The National College Advising Corps (NCAC) is an initiative aimed at increasing the number of students from low-income families who get a higher education by placing recent college graduates in schools and community colleges as advisers who supplement the work of guidance counselors. Dexter Robinson, an adviser in North Carolina, works with students to help them find scholarships, fill out financial aid forms, complete applications and find a college or university that is right for them. The Corps is modeled on the College Guide program at the University of Virginia, which proved so successful that the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation provided 10 $1 million grants to 10 universities in other states to expand the Guide Program into the National Corps. (See "New Graduates Show Students Path to Higher Education.")

The grant recipients are Brown University, Franklin & Marshall College, Loyola College in Maryland, Pennsylvania State University, Tufts University, the University of Alabama, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Missouri-Columbia, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Utah.

Robinson told America.gov about his experience guiding low-income students to higher education.

Question: Why did you join the National College Advising Corps?

Robinson: At the time I was already working within the public school system as an exceptional-children's assistant and coaching basketball. Some of my players as well as students throughout the school asked for my help concerning them and college. I found myself helping numerous students with various aspects of college access. One day I was reading the paper, and found that NCAC was expanding the program to [Alamance County, North Carolina]. I was already working here in North Carolina. I realized I enjoyed helping students with college access, and that there is a need for the position. I thought about the youth in my own family and how this program would help me help them as well.

Question: What kind of counseling did you get as a teen? Whose advice was most important?

Robinson: I knew who the counselors at my school were, but no one ever spoke to me about college until schools started to look at me for possible football scholarships. I was also a high academically achieving student, and I feel as though people assumed that somehow I was going to college. The assistant principal, Mr. Woody, would always ask me where I was going to school and if I had made a decision yet. My parents are the ones who stayed on top of me about going to college. At the time both of my parents had been to college, but neither had a bachelor's degree. The push for my siblings and me to do well in education came from parents. 

Question: Can you tell me a little bit about what counseling high school students is like? Any surprises?

Robinson: I love being an adviser! Unlike a high school counselor, my focus is one issue, and that is college access. High school counselors have to deal with so many other issues that in my opinion they shouldn't have to deal with. The biggest surprise to me was how quick students trust and confide in me. Once students see that you are serious and care about them as a person, they will utilize you as a resource.

Some of the types of things we do within the school are: classroom presentations, workshops, one-on-one advising, field trips, on-site admissions, on-site college visits, SAT [college-readiness test] prep, college fairs, special guests and group advising. As advisers we are allowed to use our creativity to build the expectation of our students to go to college and help students with college access. Some of the things I have done as an adviser are make posters that relate to the demographics of our students, increase the awareness of college events and activities, bring in guest speakers that our students can relate to and know (for example, Danny Green from the University of North Carolina Men's Basketball Team), build and expand the college and career center at both schools.

Currently, at one of the schools I am attempting to organize a fashion show. Numerous students are interested in careers in fashion, design, marketing, theater, business, music or cosmetology. Students are going to be responsible for organizing everything, and I will put them in contact with people from the professions previously mentioned. This will allow students to get an understanding of some of the things they will encounter in the working world. I think the show will also teach students how to communicate with adults, which is essential in growing as a person. Most of the students I have worked with are nervous about speaking with admissions counselors, financial aid counselors and other adult figures that they do not know personally. Students will be able to have fun, learn a couple things, and some students may be able to use the event for their senior projects, which is a graduation requirement.

Question: What do you see as the most important considerations for your advisees?

Robinson: I stress to my students they need to be somewhere they will be comfortable, and a place that has their major and interests. Usually the questions I ask are:

· Would you like to be in-state or out of state?

· What region of the state would you like to be in?

· Coed or same-sex school?

· Large, medium or small school?

· What are you interested in studying?

· What other interests do you have?

· What do you like and not like about school in general?

• If any, what schools are you considering?

After I have collected information, I then do some research on schools based on the information the student gave me. I will follow up with the student and provide them with information about schools they may be interested in. I allow the students to research the schools on their own, and we will then speak about schools they may want to pursue admission to. That is for one-on-one advising. Obviously we push, encourage and inform students to take the SAT, ACT, and PSAT [college-readiness tests], to visit schools, to hold leadership positions, to apply for scholarships; for athletes to register with NCAA [National Collegiate Athletic Association] Clearinghouse; speak about NCAA eligibility, speak about FAFSA [Free Application for Federal Student Aid] and the CSS PROFILE [College Scholarship Service Profile], and other things that relate to going to college.

I have worked with foster students, undocumented students, homeless students, students who live on their own, students who live with someone else, students with free or reduced[-cost] lunch, students who have special needs. All these students are looking for and need different things, so the process varies.