Counselor Spotlights

AVID Elective Teacher Mellenee Miller Carpenter teaches AVID classes at Southwest High School in Fort Worth, Texas. She challenges students to take rigorous courses, and encourages them to strive to achieve their college dreams.

The Challenge

Carpenter continually seeks new ways to give her students the skills to perform well at a college level. “I give them everything I wish I had in high school,” she said. “I don’t remember being pushed to pursue higher-level classes or to take the time to apply for scholarships. It’s so important to be there to support our students as they make that big transition to college.”

To that end, Carpenter exposes students to a wealth of resources to help them throughout the college admissions process. When it came time to invite a speaker to class, she decided to ask an admissions counselor from a nearby university to join them in an interactive way.

The Solution

Carpenter invited an admissions counselor to meet her students online using CollegeWeekLive. “I used CollegeWeekLive’s free tool High School Connect to invite the University of Houston to an online meeting, Carpenter said. “The process was very smooth. “

Her students were equally pleased with the online experience. “Students really liked it,” she said. “The admissions counselor provided valuable information, and answered all my students’ questions. I was proud of my students, who brought a pretty good scope of questions to the discussion, covering everything from financial aid to school athletics.”

The Results

Carpenter spread the word about this positive experience to her colleagues, and plans to offer more online meetings for her students in the future. “It’s so beneficial to give students opportunities to connect with admissions counselors multiple times throughout the admissions process,” Carpenter said. “It gives students a better picture of what they can expect from a university, and get information straight from the source. It really puts things in perspective, helping them to understand how financial aid works and how to learn more about colleges that they’re considering.”