Woodhaven High School’s own college advisor Ms. Z helps students figure out their after school plan. Students come to see her every day to discuss their future in college or the trades. Mrs. Z has acted as the networking portal to help students find a trade school or college to go to after high school.
Ms. Z has been working in Woodhaven for the past 5 years. In those 5 years she has helped many students with college and trade schools admissions. Ms. Z has many connections with all sorts of colleges all over the state. She stated that, “I’ve connected with all 15 of our public universities’ admissions representatives. I’ve also met with a good portion of our state’s private admissions representatives. Networking is super important for an adviser, as we need to pull information directly from universities to track student data and constantly changing university policies.”
Being able to have these connections with these colleges helps students with admissions, and it also helps students get into better contact with these schools. Ms. Z meets in two ways to talk about college to students. She meets in English classes talking about how to get into college and how to apply. The second way is in a one on one meeting with Mrs. Z that allows for a student to sit in with her and ask any questions they may have about college.
Ms. Z does not only help students with college admissions. She also helps students who want to go into the trades. Ms. Z explains that, “ For trades students, I help them learn the different routes they can take to enter a trade. I also help look for local unions that host apprenticeships.” Ms. Z supports any and all students that come to her, and helps them find what path best supports their decisions for after high school.
Ms. Z stresses options for students, meaning that she reminds students that they have many options and different paths that they can choose to be successful after high school. Mrs. Z stresses, “This year, I’ve really tried to underscore the importance of exploring all available options. Sometimes students can become fixated on what they think is their life’s grand plan and quickly become disillusioned when that plan falls apart.” Ms. Z helps students to find out how they are feeling in school at that very moment, and make the best plan they can – she plays a key role here at Woodhaven High School for each senior class.
