Podcast
Future College Parent Podcast
Hosted by Justin Alger · EN
The Future College Parent Podcast is here to help #originalinfluencer parents’ guide their students to prepare, choose, and finance college! www.futurecollegeparent.com
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Next Great Step – Beth Hendler-Grunt
Jul 13, 202200:33:43Tap to summarizeThe guest of episode twelve is Ms. Beth Hendler-Grunt, President of Next Great Step where her sole focus is to help college graduates land the job they deserve. In this episode we discuss the concepts she teaches in her upcoming (at the time of this recording) book, The Next Great Step. The parents’ guide to launching your new grad into a career. It’s so invigorating to see a caring professional tackle a problem that isn’t always completely addressed in our education systems, helping your student get a job after college. I mention in the episode that the idea of your student getting a job after college is very aspirational for future college parents, in that the episode assumes that students have made it through a traditional undergraduate program and have graduated! The points I want to make are twofold. One, I want to inspire you to not only believe your student can attend a traditional college if they want to but can become gainfully employed after receiving a degree. Second, I want you to see the type of work it will take in the future for your student to get the job they deserve and get a jump on it now. I hope you enjoy my interview with Beth! Resources: Future College Parent Podcast website: https://www.futurecollegeparent.com/ Future College Parent Network: The Future College Parent Network is here for you to post what you learned by listening to this episode and engage with other listeners so we can learn together! Please join at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/futurecollegeparentnetwork/ Beth’s Website: Next Great Step Listen to episodes on: https://www.futurecollegeparent.com/ Please share the podcast widely with other parents, leaders of activities your student is involved in, and your school administrators so they can share with your school district. You can also let parents know the show is streaming directly from the website and there is no need to download anything! The show is also on your favorite podcast platforms as well.
Transcribe →Grad Skool Already?
Jun 29, 202200:32:30Tap to summarizeThe guest of episode eleven is Mr. Andy Crawford, Acting Associate Director, Undergraduate & Graduate Admission Operations at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts. In this episode we discuss graduate school preparation, choice, and finance! Our focus is on the Master of Business Administration degree, but the discussion is relevant to admission to a variety of graduate programs. Andy really enjoys the work he does helping students gain admission and graduate from the programs at Bentley! I mention in the episode that the idea of attending graduate school is aspirational for future college parents in that this episode assumes that students have made it through a traditional undergraduate program and have graduated! The points I want to make are twofold. One, I want to inspire you to not only believe your student can attend a traditional college if they want to but can also earn a master’s degree as well, it’s not out of the realm of possibility, I promise you. Second, I hope you see the good work that you’re doing to help your student now will be applicable in helping them navigate admission to graduate school as well. I hope you enjoy my interview with Andy! Resources: Future College Parent Podcast website: https://www.futurecollegeparent.com/ Future College Parent Network: The Future College Parent Network is here for you to post what you learned by listening to this episode and engage with other listeners so we can learn together! Please join at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/futurecollegeparentnetwork/ Listen to episodes on: https://www.futurecollegeparent.com/ Please share the podcast widely with other parents, leaders of activities your student is involved in, and your school administrators so they can share with your school district. You can also let parents know the show is streaming directly from the website and there is no need to download anything! The show is also on your favorite podcast platforms as well.
Transcribe →It takes the community – Robert Beach
Jun 15, 202200:34:22Tap to summarizeThe guest of episode ten is Mr. Robert Beach, School Counselor and Student Equity Action Committee Co-Sponsor at Lockport Township High School in Lockport, Illinois. Robert has a large number of students assigned to him in a massive school district. In this episode Robert and I discuss how school counselors help support students in three areas: social & emotional, academic, and college & career support. It’s very obvious to me how passionate he is about helping students achieve success in these areas. I hope you enjoy my interview with Robert! Resources: Future College Parent Podcast website: https://www.futurecollegeparent.com/ Future College Parent Network: The Future College Parent Network is here for you to post what you learned by listening to this episode and engage with other listeners so we can learn together! Please join at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/futurecollegeparentnetwork/ Listen to episodes on: https://www.futurecollegeparent.com/ Please share the podcast widely with other parents, leaders of activities your student is involved in, and your school administrators so they can share with your school district. You can also let parents know the show is streaming directly from the website and there is no need to download anything! The show is also on your favorite podcast platforms as well.
Transcribe →Parent Moves – Matthew Brownstein
Jun 1, 202200:28:13Tap to summarizeThe guest of episode nine highlights Matthew Brownstein, Assistant Principal at an elementary school – including grades kindergarten through 8th grade, in Queens, NY! In this episode we discuss how parents can help students be authors of their own lives! This may sound very broad and potentially overwhelming, but I think you’ll find the advice Matthew provides will give you a strong starting point. I also hope you’ll see how developing relationships and taking responsibility can help students prepare for any and all post-secondary adventures. I hope you enjoy my interview with Matthew! Resources: Future College Parent Podcast website: https://www.futurecollegeparent.com/ Future College Parent Network: The Future College Parent Network is here for you to post what you learned by listening to this episode and engage with other listeners so we can learn together! Please join at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/futurecollegeparentnetwork/ Listen to episodes on: https://www.futurecollegeparent.com/ Please share the podcast widely with other parents, leaders of activities your student is involved in, and your school administrators so they can share with your school district. You can also let parents know the show is streaming directly from the website and there is no need to download anything! The show is also on your favorite podcast platforms as well.
Transcribe →College does not have to be a debt sentence – Denise Thomas
May 18, 202200:34:44Tap to summarizeI present to you the guest of episode eight, Ms. Denise Thomas, Chief Executive Officer and Debt Free College Coach of Get Ahead of the Class, where she “partners with parents to put their kids through college debt free.” Denise is a TEDx speaker, keynote speaker, author, podcaster, and has a mobile app! In this episode we discuss Denise’s five steps you can take right now to help your student not serve a college debt sentence. I hope you enjoy my interview with Denise! Resources: Future College Parent Podcast website: https://www.futurecollegeparent.com/ Future College Parent Network: The Future College Parent Network is here for you to post what you learned by listening to this episode and engage with other listeners so we can learn together! Please join at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/futurecollegeparentnetwork/ Denise’s Don’t waste the middle school years eBook: Download here! Denise’s TEDx Talk: Costly Myths: Scholarships, True Cost of College, and Dream School Denise on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denisethomasdebtfreecollege/ Listen to episodes on: https://www.futurecollegeparent.com/ Please share the podcast widely with other parents, leaders of activities your student is involved in, and your school administrators so they can share with your school district. You can also let parents know the show is streaming directly from the website and there is no need to download anything! The show is also on your favorite podcast platforms as well.
Transcribe →The Second Pedro – Pedro Sanchez
May 4, 202200:28:02Tap to summarizeThe guest of episode seven features Mr. Pedro Sanchez, Director of Financial Aid at Wheeling University. Pedro is student and family focused, and to top it off he knows financial aid and leads the league in financial aid credentials. In this episode we discuss FAFSA completion, the Federal Student Loan Program and Professional judgements. I hope you enjoy my interview with Pedro!
Transcribe →
Walton, NY 13856 – Mike MacDonald
Mar 15, 202200:37:43Tap to summarizeI concluded the 6 episode release by speaking with Dr. Mike McDonald, superintendent of my high school alma mater, Walton Central School! Mike began as the superintendent of WCS in the summer of 2020. Now, I don’t want to give anything away. But you’ll hear at the top of the interview how I met Mike, and I know you’ll see why I asked him to be a guest on the show. I’m so happy that he’s taking care of my alma matter. During the episode, you will hear Mike talk about different ways we can encourage career exploration right from a young age, how to connect the student career pathways with what is going on in classrooms, and how we can work with our students to enhance their preparation for college. Episode Timeline: [01:06] Introducing Mike [02:24] Going back to the fall of 1994 [05:36] Mike’s role in helping parents and students in getting college and career ready. [07:15] Career exploration and traditional college preparation process. [09:42] Best practice to move the career exploration at age-appropriate levels down through the elementary schools. [12:53] Why students’ college and career preparations should start at an early age. [16:36] Getting the kids connected to career pathways. [19:50] Tools to connect students with resources outside their region. [21:30] Advice to students who have not found their interests yet. [24:21] Differences between being career-ready and being college-ready. [27:31] Mike’s advice for the higher education system [33:44] Justin’s 5 takeaways from the episode Five things I learned from my talk with Mike! 1. Encourage career exploration early on by connecting what your student is already doing in the classroom with related careers. Example: if your student is responsible for gathering/delivering mail for the classroom, start to show them different career options that are similar by identifying people that are in these roles currently like a manager or postal worker. You can also encourage shadowing, tours, internships, even using surveys and online programs like Career Zone. The goal is to help your student identify pathways that align with their interests. Note, I am not affiliated, nor do I endorse Career Zone and only mention it by name as Mike mentioned using it at his school. 2. Work with your student to enhance their preparation for college throughout their educational journey. As they get closer to applying for education after high school, I encourage you and your student to attend College Career Nights, College Financial Planning/Aid Nights, and any and all programs your school provides. 3. There’s always a way and always a pathway for your student to achieve career goals. 4. Being college ready is being career ready. College or education after high school isn’t a culmination of what is learned during high school. It is part of the student’s career trajectory and pathway. 5. Ask questions while exploring colleges with career goals in mind, do not make assumptions. Does the program align with the recognized professional associations in the student’s goal field? Will the program get your student to their career goal after successful completion, or will there be additional steps they need to take after completing the program? Resources: Future College Parent Podcast website: https://www.futurecollegeparent.com/ Future College Parent Network: The Future College Parent Network is here for you to post what you learned by listening to this episode and engage with other listeners so we can learn together! Please join at: www.facebook.com/groups/futurecollegeparentnetwork/ Listen to episodes on https://www.futurecollegeparent.com/: Please share the podcast widely with other parents, leaders of activities your student is involved in, and your school administrators so they can share with your school district. You can also let parents know the show is streaming directly from the website and there is no need to download anything! The show is also on your favorite podcast platforms as well. Parent Action Plan!: Parents can download the action plan document to actively engage with their student, secondary, and post-secondary professionals to help their student prepare, chose and finance college. Lesson Plan & Worksheet: Leaders of activities your student is involved in, and your school administrators can download the Lesson Plan and Worksheet for this episode to help teach all Future College Parents the content of this podcast episode. Transcription: Justin Alger 00:00 My name is Dr. Justin Alger, and this is the first six-episode premiere of the future college parent podcast. Mike MacDonald 00:11 There’s always a way there’s always a pathway if you truly want to go and you truly have that passion for that career, whether it takes eight years… Justin Alger 00:25 Hey, Mike, welcome to the future college pair podcast. And thank you for being here and helping future college parents. And thank you for being one of our first six guests. You are guest number six, the finale for the for the premier of the future college parent podcast. Welcome to the show, Mike. Mike MacDonald 01:57 Thank you, Justin. It’s a pleasure to be here and a pleasure to reconnect with you. Justin Alger 02:02 I’m so happy that you’re here as well. And as we’ve talked, this episode is very special to me, because Walton is my alma mater. And before we begin, I just wanted to take a moment to talk about a memory that’s been very impactful in my life. And I’ve shared the story with my wife many, many times, and anyone that will listen, really so if we can go back to the fall of 1994. Can you do you remember what you were doing in the fall of 1994? Mike MacDonald 02:29 Yes, my very first year, coaching Walton football. And we, I was blessed to, to join at the right time as we made our run for the state championship. Justin Alger 02:41 This is this is very true. I mean, and I most remember you for from the football team. And you had helped us coaching special teams, right. And of course, as we talked in the pre-show here, I was the star kicker for the team. Mike MacDonald 02:57 Yes, you were. Justin Alger 02:58 And towards the end of the season, we are playing Windsor, a wonderful school east of Binghamton, New York. And Windsor, of course had this kickoff return play, where if you kick the ball high and far, they’d all run back to the ball form a huddle, where they would be pretending to hand the ball back and forth to each other, while one of the fast guys gets the ball runs up the sideline for a touchdown. While everyone was utterly confused, and watching the huddle, right. And so as deter said huddle, my job was to kick the ball high and short, but to the sidelines. And this way, our fast guys are super-fast and tough players were able to run under it, and hopefully get the ball. And so, it seemed like I remember the whole week, the whole week of practice. All we did was practice this kick. You know, and I just remember the care and concern that you had, for me as a scared teenager who grew up watching classic Walton Windsor football games. And winning this game meant earning a spot as you said in the New York State playoffs, where this is the first year that Walton would enter the playoffs and so that Saturday came and I knew that if I screwed this kick up, I was going to get flattened on the field. I remember I set the ball up, the whistle blew, and I kicked just as planned and our super-fast and tough guys got under the ball and we got the ball, went down and scored a touchdown on the opening drive and eventually won the game and the state title that year the first year that you were that you’re a part of the team which is amazing, and the point that I wanted to make is that if you are providing the care and concern for my alma mater, as you did for me when you first started I think the school district is in the best of hands and I’m so appreciative of you taking care of my alma mater I mean so much to me so thank you so much for doing that. Mike MacDonald 04:52 That’s exactly why I came back here was the was the sustain and put back in place. I shouldn’t say put back I can place because the teachers and the staff here at Walton have never ever wavered on the importance of positive relationships with kids. And that’s one of the reasons that drew me back to Walter. Justin Alger 05:10 He just means so much to me. And I know it means so much to the community. And I know that you’re probably not the guy that gets the thank you every single day. But please, no. And I’m confident that the folks in the district appreciate the work that you’re doing to keep their children safe and secure, and able to foster academic and personal success in that safe and secure environment. Anyway, let’s get let’s get on with the show. So, if you could, can you start by sharing your role and describe what capacity you support parents and students in getting college and career r...
Transcribe →Grants, loans, and scholarships…OH MY! – Deb Sutliff & Sue Tripp
Mar 15, 202200:47:09Tap to summarizeIn today’s episode, I had the honor to interview Ms. Susan Tripp, Director of Financial Aid emeritus from Herkimer College. Also appearing on the episode is Ms. Deb Sutliff, Bursar Emeritus at Herkimer college as well. I had the absolute pleasure and honor to work directly with Deb and Sue at Herkimer College and saw firsthand the care and concern they provided to individual students, and it was just unparalleled. Their baseline was beyond the best that I’ve seen in my career and was simply a part of the fabric of who they are. I want to mention to you that this episode will not cover all that is paying for college, I intend to have future episodes dedicated to this critical and complex topic. Episode Timeline: [00:56] Introducing today’s guests to the show [03:30] Deb’s and Sue’s roles in helping students be college-ready [06:15] What all parents should know about high school to college transition [12:03] Taking advantage of the local community college [13:10] What is financial aid and how can students apply for it? [16:09] The financial aid application process [20:30] Stigma around the FAFSA [25:46] When to file for the FAFSA [27:18] Looking into the financial aid letter [34:32] Common mistakes students and parents make related to FAFSA packages [39:19] What role should financial aid play in a student’s decision to apply to a school vs another school? [43:21] Justin’s 5 takeaways from the episode Five things I learned from my talk with Deb & Sue! 1. Begin to learn about the financial aid process with your student prior to attending college! This will make the process much less stressful when it’s time to actually apply for financial aid. There is a wealth of resources available including your high school guidance counselor, admissions representatives that visit your high school, or contact your local community college bursar and financial aid offices to learn more about financial aid programs and workshops they may provide. They may also have staff and services available to help you navigate the process. 2. Do not be quick to dismiss your local community college. There are potential monetary savings, similar general education courses are offered in the first two-years at both a community college and four-year institution, and some of the community college faculty may even work in the field they are teaching. 3. To apply for federal financial aid students must fill out the FAFSA or Free Application for Federal Student Aid annually. This means every year a student is attending or considering attending a college. Filing the FAFSA will determine a student’s eligibility for grants, loans, and work-study. Individual states may offer financial aid as well, please visit your state education department website to see if your state offers financial aid. 4. After a student completes the FAFSA and supplies any supplemental information required by a respective campus in a timely fashion. The campus will send the student a financial aid award letter. Some awards are given to the student such as grants and scholarships. Grants and scholarships generally don’t need to be repaid. Some awards are offered to the student such as loans. There are limits to how much a student can borrow. Also, students can borrow less than what they are offered. If there’s a difference between how much financial aid is offered and the cost of attendance, it is up to the student and their family to determine how to pay this expense. 5. There is a difference between the financial aid award package and the bill a student receives from a respective campus. The financial aid package is based on average costs of items such as room and board and indirect costs. The bill reflects actual costs charged to the student. Resources Future College Parent Podcast website: https://www.futurecollegeparent.com/ Future College Parent Network: The Future College Parent Network is here for you to post what you learned by listening to this episode and engage with other listeners so we can learn together! Please join at: www.facebook.com/groups/futurecollegeparentnetwork/ Listen to episodes on https://www.futurecollegeparent.com/: Please share the podcast widely with other parents, leaders of activities your student is involved in, and your school administrators so they can share with your school district. You can also let parents know the show is streaming directly from the website and there is no need to download anything! The show is also on your favorite podcast platforms as well. Parent Action Plan!: Parents can download the action plan document to actively engage with their student, secondary, and post-secondary professionals to help their student prepare, chose and finance college. Lesson Plan & Worksheet: Leaders of activities your student is involved in, and your school administrators can download the Lesson Plan and Worksheet for this episode to help teach all Future College Parents the content of this podcast episode. Referenced links: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Federal Student Aid: https://studentaid.gov/ New York State Higher Education Services Corporation: https://www.hesc.ny.gov/ Transcription: Justin Alger 00:18 Deb and Sue OMG. Welcome to the future college parent Podcast. I’m so excited that you’re here with me on the show. This is the fifth episode in our six-episode premiere. Thanks for being on the show. Deb Sutliff 03:21 Thank you. Sue Tripp 03:22 Thank you, Deb Sutliff 03:22 I’m happy to be here. Justin Alger 03:23 So first, if you could, and you can go in order that you want. But if you, can you please share your role and describe in what capacity you support students and parents through the college journey. Deb Sutliff 03:39 Alright, I can start. So, Justin is the former Bursar, who’s still working a little bit part time, my role has been in trying to make sure that students and families could understand the bill. So, our office took an active role in trying to make sure that students were well aware of the costs associated with college, both for those commuting students as we are Community College. And for those who would be living on campus because there is a wide discrepancy in terms of how much a family would have to pay if the student was commuting, you know, coming from the local area to drive up the hill to our campus, or if they were living in one of our campus housing facilities. Because in that case that they were doing that that would be much more like a four-year institution for a student who was coming from a distance away, say to reside on campus. So, we wanted to make sure that we had payment plans available that we have very clear and accurate information on our website. And non-COVID times we gave a lot of in person presentations at orientation events, open houses, registration nights or weekends. When we had a presence always to make sure that families were very comfortable and knowing how they were going to pay their bill. Justin Alger 04:56 It’s fantastic so a Bursar on campus is the person or the office that collects the bills. Sue Tripp 05:04 Correct. Justin Alger 05:04 Well, good Sue? Deb Sutliff 05:05 My role is to make sure that students and families are aware of all the financial aid programs that are available to them for to take care of any of the college costs. You know, we are stewards of tax dollar monies. So, we have many compliance regulations that we are under, and we want to expend everything that was offered to the institution to award to our students. So, you know, in our office, we do a lot of administrative work, but our other half 50% is making sure that families and students understand all the regulations and understand what aid that’s out there available to students. And so, the key is to help students to help them with whatever we can that’s available to them to offset college costs, which is not decreasing. It’s, it’s rising and rising. And you know, and funding is, is there, but it is limited. So that information needs to go out so that they’re prepared, and how to take care of college costs. Justin Alger 06:11 Okay, wonderful. Thanks for providing that overview. Can you share with us what is an important lesson or piece of advice about the transition from high school to college, that you think all parents should know? Deb Sutliff 06:22 You know, with high school, you know, parents were quite involved, and believe it or not, probably did a lot of stuff for students. And when you enter college, you know, depending on what the government considers that person as an adult, and expects a lot from the students and not, you know, actually having too much of what their parents do for them. So, our responsibility is to make sure that students really understand a lot of the rules and re...
Transcribe →Create your locker combo – Suzanne Gluck
Mar 15, 202200:33:44Tap to summarizeThe fourth episode of the Future College Parent Podcast features Ms. Suzanne Gluck, Guidance Counselor at East Williston Union Free School District. This episode is special to me because Suzanne was actually a student of mine back when I worked in the college housing program at the University at Buffalo. I remember Suzanne as an undergraduate student herself, and specifically the joy, the energy, and the passion she has for life. It’s such a thrill to see her now helping students navigate all that is high school and beyond. She’s super knowledgeable and is such as caring professional. What a great honor for me to see how much Suzanne has grown. I’m extremely proud of her! And I’m confident you’ll see in our talk how she provides a solid structure for students but allows them to exhibit their own creativity to achieve their individual goals. Episode Timeline: [01:01] Introducing Suzanne Gluck! [02:50] Suzanne’s role in supporting parents and students in getting college and career ready. [04:52] Why prepare students for college right from 8th grade? [06:03] About Naviance and its role [09:13] How a high school guidance counselor is helpful to students. [12:18] Solutions for students who don’t advocate for themselves [14:50] How to include all students on the guidance and counseling radar. [17:06] Does every school have a counselor? [17:54] How parents can assist students with college preparation. [22:29] Putting a student in a safe uncomfortable position [24:57] Advice for the higher education system [28:55] Partnering with parents to overcome higher education websites communication issues [30:43] Justin’s 5 takeaways from the episode Five things I learned from my talk with Suzanne! 1. You can start preparing and creating your student’s college going identity as early as the 8th grade by helping your student get to know who they are (I suggest even as early as the 6th grade). Parents can begin to develop this identity by asking open-ended questions to help their student reflect on what they’ve learned and liked. Or parents can challenge your student to step out of their comfort zone, they may surprise themselves or fail. Either is a good thing as they’re growing! 2. Check to see if your school uses a platform to create and track post-secondary plans. For example, Suzanne discussed her school uses the Naviance College, Career, and life readiness platform as a locker to track all the stuff and things her students are doing to become college and career ready. If your school isn’t using a platform, that’s OK, you can start a notebook or begin to create a portfolio of experiences to track everything! Note, I am not affiliated, nor do I endorse Naviance and only mention it by name as Suzanne mentioned using it in her school. 3. You can help your student to be their own self-advocate and learning to speak for themselves by helping them articulate their needs, wants, and how they’re going to be successful. Try this first before asserting yourself as their advocate. 4. Know the name of your school counselor and encourage your students build the relationship with that person. 5. When you’re at the college choice stage, reach out to a potential campus and ask to speak with an admissions counselor and/or student representative that represents or has a similar interest as your student. For example, a specific major or interest. This will help the student determine the feel and fit they get from the institution. Resources: Future College Parent Podcast website: https://www.futurecollegeparent.com/ Future College Parent Network: The Future College Parent Network is here for you to post what you learned by listening to this episode and engage with other listeners so we can learn together! Please join at: www.facebook.com/groups/futurecollegeparentnetwork/ Listen to episodes on https://www.futurecollegeparent.com/: Please share the podcast widely with other parents, leaders of activities your student is involved in, and your school administrators so they can share with your school district. You can also let parents know the show is streaming directly from the website and there is no need to download anything! The show is also on your favorite podcast platforms as well. Parent Action Plan!: Parents can download the action plan document to actively engage with their student, secondary, and post-secondary professionals to help their student prepare, chose and finance college. Lesson Plan & Worksheet: Leaders of activities your student is involved in, and your school administrators can download the Lesson Plan and Worksheet for this episode to help teach all Future College Parents the content of this podcast episode. Referenced links: American School Counselor Association: The national average student to school counselor ratio was 415 to one for the 2020-2021 school year. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/About-School-Counseling/School-Counselor-Roles-Ratios Transcription: Justin Alger 00:23 Suzanne, welcome to the future college parent podcast. Thanks for being here and helping future college parents it also thanks for being one of our first six guests in the six-episode premiere of the future college parent podcast and let’s start off if you could please share your role and describe what capacity you support parents and students in getting college and career ready. Suzanne Gluck 02:58 Sure. So, I am a high school guidance counselor. Many schools call it school counselors, my school it’s titled guidance counselor, it really just depends on where you work. Essentially, I support high school students grades eight through 12. And I am with them all five years. My school is a little unique in that we have our eighth graders in the high school, but I support them all five years that they are in the school. So, I have a portion of the alphabet. My role in regard to parents and navigating the college process is it’s an ongoing process starting from eighth grade, getting students prepared with Naviance, which is a tool that we can dive into a little bit. Many of you may not be familiar with the program, many schools utilize it in terms of career exploration, Hollins traits, as well as resume building surveys to help communicate with the school counselor, as well as navigating the college process in terms of searching for schools, helping find matches a housing spot for standardized tests. And it also is a way for the students to connect with their actual college applications. So, I am in continuous contact with my students as well as my parents on a daily basis. Also coming from a very high performing high school. My families are really involved in the college process, which makes it very easy. So, you know, one of the biggest advices that I could give to a parent is to be involved in the process. Help your child out with the process because when you are in sync with what’s going on, they’re going to have more success with finding the right fit. Justin Alger 04:50 Thank you for sharing and now, you mentioned that you start in the eighth grade. Doesn’t that seem a little bit early? Suzanne Gluck 04:56 You know, it’s one thing to go and take tours on an actual college campus. And I do believe students need to start their college going identity. So that belief that they can maybe go off to college, post high school life early. But at the beginning, what’s really important as an eighth grader, is getting to know who you are your passions and what you like, specifically. So, when I meet with my eighth graders, most of our questions aren’t tailored as to what college do you want to go to. And some of them have aspirations already, maybe because they have an adult’s an older sibling. Some of them may have friends or family that have high profile jobs, that that’s what they’re looking for. But getting to know what they’re good at, what they like, is really important, especially helping students start tailoring elective choices, extracurricular activities, as well as opportunities for in school community service, as well as out of school community service. Justin Alger 06:03 And now is that where this Naviance comes into to track those activities? Suzanne Gluck 06:08 Absolutely. So, this year, specifically, my school was back at 100% capacity, which was amazing. Since day one, obviously, things were a little unique with math with given COVID however, we had the opportunity to push into our eighth-grade classrooms and ninth grade classrooms, which we haven’t been able to in the past under the regime of a new director. And one of the goals is to get our students even actually earlier than that collaborating with the middle school, onto this program Naviance. So Naviance has access for students throughout the district if the district purchases the program. ...
Transcribe →College is like a slice of pizza – Pedro Martinez
Mar 15, 202200:32:39Tap to summarizeIn the third episode of the Future College Parent Podcast, I had the honor to speak to Mr. Pedro Martinez, director of Admission at Cal Poly Humboldt. Pedro and I first met for the first time recording this episode. And I have to tell you, this is one of the most genuine humans I’ve met in my higher education career. I was really appreciative of Pedro sharing his narrative of being Hispanic, from a small town and the struggles he faced growing up. He’s proof you can come from anywhere and do anything! During the episode you’ll hear Pedro talk about Humboldt State University becoming a certified Cal Poly institution in the coming months. I’m happy to announce Humboldt State University is now Cal Poly Humboldt. Pedro mentions this designation will immediately change the admissions process but will add some more academic programs to the institution. Congratulations, Cal Poly Humboldt! Episode Timeline: [00:56] Introducing Pedro Martinez [02:19] Pedro’s role in supporting parents and students in getting college and career ready [04:04] Pedro’s journey from high school to college [08:18] Cal Poly Humboldt admission requirements and study levels [15:21] Meeting basic admission requirements is enough to get admitted [18:58] Questions parents should be asking about Humboldt [22:08] Pedro’s advice to the secondary education system. [26:07] Developing a relationship with the administration. [29:15] Justin’s 5 takeaways from the episode. Five things I learned from my talk with Pedro! 1. Cal Poly Humboldt currently admits over 90% of students who apply! Most of these students have met the California Department of Education graduation requirements referred to as the “A-G course list.” Congratulations! Your student CAN attend a public four-year institution! If you’re worried your student won’t exactly meet one or more of the admissions requirements, reach out to admissions counselors at an institution. They are trained to work with you to develop a pathway to admission. Listeners outside of the state of California can check their local school district or state education department website for their state’s graduation and higher education institutional requirements for admission. 2. Check with your local high school administration to see if they have connections with colleges, both local and beyond. If they don’t ask them to help you to make the connection to a school! 3. Applying to a college isn’t just about applying and going. Remember Pedro’s funnel analogy. Starting with good high school preparation and gaining an understanding of your ability and willingness to pay for college, your student can then apply and follow the steps to be proactive and make sure they are on the path from preparation, through admission, to course registration. 4. Ask a potential school where you as a parent fit in. Often we hear in the popular media of overinvolved parents reaking havoc on campuses! This doesn’t have to be the case for you, ask the question about where you can provide support both from afar, and when you visit the campus. 5. Say thank you to your high school faculty, staff, and administrators. They create the environment for your student to be academically and personally successful. We cannot thank them enough for the work they do. Resources: Future College Parent Podcast website: https://www.futurecollegeparent.com/ Future College Parent Network: The Future College Parent Network is here for you to post what you learned by listening to this episode and engage with other listeners so we can learn together! Please join at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/futurecollegeparentnetwork/ Listen to episodes on: https://www.futurecollegeparent.com/ Please share the podcast widely with other parents, leaders of activities your student is involved in, and your school administrators so they can share with your school district. You can also let parents know the show is streaming directly from the website and there is no need to download anything! The show is also on your favorite podcast platforms as well. Lesson Plan & Activity: Leaders of activities your student is involved in, and your school administrators can download the lesson plan and activity for this episode to help teach all Future College Parents the content of this podcast episode. Parent Action Plan!: Parents can download the action plan document to actively engage with their student, secondary, and post-secondary professionals to help their student prepare, chose and finance college. Lesson Plan & Worksheet: Leaders of activities your student is involved in, and your school administrators can download the Lesson Plan and Worksheet for this episode to help teach all Future College Parents the content of this podcast episode. Transcription: Justin Alger 00:19 Pedro, welcome to the future college parent podcast and thanks for being here. And helping future college parents and thank you for being one of our first six guests. You our guest number three in our six-episode premiere of the future college parent podcast. Pedro, welcome to the show. Pedro Martinez 02:12 Hey, it’s great to be here. Thanks for letting me be here and speak to the parents and yourself and answering questions. Justin Alger 02:17 Absolutely glad that you are here. So, if we could start off, can you please share what your role is and segue into describing in what capacity you support parents and students in getting college and career ready? Pedro Martinez 02:30 Yeah, I’ve actually been in higher education for 20 plus years, and I have spanned almost every aspect of that career that included. Being an ambassador for a university tour guide, an office assistant with recruitment became you know, as an admissions counselor, and raise the ranks into administration. And now I’m the Director of Admissions at Humboldt State University. But within that duty, not only do I help with the students coming in for various different classes, from graduate programs to undergraduate programs, I also am responsible for enrollment communications, basically the communications that go to all students and parents, as it pertains to what the university is doing. And various topics from admissions to continuing registration to safety updates, a variety of different things that relate to information that gets relayed to families and students themselves. In addition to that, I also run other programs on campus such as Project rebound, which is a special program for those that have a formerly incarcerated background to also other programs that focus on special needs of students and underrepresented student populations. So various things get kind of introduced to me. And I’ve been doing this for several years and focused on trying to support students achieve their dream of academic college success and being able to obtain a degree that allows them to live the dream that they want to live each day. So, I’ve been excited to be here during these 20 years. Justin Alger 04:05 If you could tell me a little bit about your journey from high school to college, what do you think informed the path that you’re on now? Pedro Martinez 04:14 I’m born and raised in California. So, I came from a small farming community outside of Fresno, California, that town being Parlier, California, which was a small, small community. We had a very small graduating class and during that time in my journey, college was different for us. You know, we lived in a farm labor community we saw so many students go through the journey and try to find opportunities. I had a special journey in junior high where there was a moment in my career that some people that I looked up to, didn’t necessarily see that opportunity for me in this type of position. They would never have seen me as a Director of Admissions. They never saw me in that awkward because of, you know, my background, being Hispanic and being in small town, and at that moment that kind of shattered my dreams at the moment, and I, you know, spoke to my family and kind of looked at it, my dad was all about education, my mom was one about just achieving your dreams. And at that moment, looking at that, it really drove me through my high school years to do that. And I had, I had a moment there. And I shared this with a lot of students, a lot of families, I found college through pizza. Pizza has always been my big thing. And I’ve shared it so many times with people. Because I sat there as a kid, enjoying pizza, and really thought about the college journey. And the college journey centered around, there’s so many colleges I looked at, at different name brand, pizza, companies, pizza A, pizza B, pizza C you know, all they all created pizza, they all looked almost the same, but they all tasted different. And it really hit me at th...
Transcribe →