Sam Houston High School Students visit Southern California Universities

Submitted by Guest Blogger: Lieutenant Colonel Jason Mims, US Army Retired

What happens when a community member spends time at the public high school in his urban ZIP code?

SHHS students on the UCLA campus October 2016

In my case, I encounter students who have a desire to make use of this national treasure we call public education.   These encounters are sources of inspiration and fuel my activities related to promoting Academic Excellence in my community.  Others have raised the level of interest in having some of our district's high-achieving students attend Tier 1 Universities and institutions committed to meeting 100% of accepted students' financial need.

I realize that I can support that goal with my time, talent, training, and treasure. 

 One senior this year at Sam Houston High is Tierra Starks.  She has been ranked in the top ten in her class cohort since I started paying attention a couple of years ago.  Last year I served as an advisor to the National Honor Society and noticed her prominent role as the chapter's secretary.   She may not have noticed that I was paying particular attention to her because, at the time, it appeared that my focus was on guiding another student to my Notre Dame alma mater.  

This year,Tierra is the president of NHS and vice-president of the student council.  I passed some information to her and her mom this summer.  She participated in the "Ya Veremos" college trip to some twenty institutions in the Northeast. Of the 19 student participants, she was the only one from Sam Houston High.  During a fellowship with her and her mom before the trip, however, Tierra shared that her dream school is the University of Southern California.

SHHS Faculty and Students on a College Tour; University of Southern California

As the school year reached the end of its first month, I started to wonder if any effort were being made to get Tierra out to visit her dream school.  I threw some ideas out to Mr White, the proud principal of Sam Houston.  I asked Tierra to help me plan a trip.  She came up the names of two other student participants and a faculty member.  Together, the students decided on the date for the trip and the four schools in the Los Angeles area that we would visit.

Mr. White agreed to let Mr. Shugart and Ms. Wallace serve as school chaperones on the trip.  Mr. Shugart teaches social studies and is the faculty sponsor for the Youth In Government/ Student Council.  Ms. Wallace is pursuing a Master's degree in Education and serves as the Trinity University Resident Implementation Specialist on Sam Houston's campus.  Tierra picked the president of the student body, Jason Orosco, and Eileen Moran-Robles, vice-president of the student council, as the other two student trip participants.  

We can now answer a question.  When was the last time students from the public high school in ZIP code 78220 explored and visited campuses in Southern California that offer to meet 100% of demonstrated financial need for accepted students?  From October 26-30, 2016, three students from Sam Houston High visited the University of Southern California, University of California Los Angeles, Pomona College, and Claremont McKenna College.  While on the trip, both seniors (Tierra and Jason) worked on their CommonApp.org applications to Pomona.   

Some seniors from San Antonio's Eastside high schools can serve as explorers.  They can create--even for a brief time--a Sam Houston presence on previously unexplored college campuses.  What may follow is the desire and expectation that some high-achieving Sam students prepare for, apply to, and attend colleges that meet 100% of demonstrated financial need.

#80x50x10 Gearing Up for the 2016 SAISD College Fair!

Submitted by Guest Blogger:  Nancy Buentello, SAISD Student Support Services

SAISD's Dr. Rosales, Rey Castilleja, Nancy Buentello, Sara Galvan, Angelica Lozano, and Marissa DeLaCerda are members of the College Fair Committee.  They walked the Brackenridge HS Venue on October 11, 2016 to plan the event 

BE sure to use the hashtag:  #80x50x10 for all things SAISD College Fair this night! 

     On Wednesday, October 26th, 2016, SAISD will be hosting the annual College Fair at Brackenridge High School from 6:00-8:00 PM.  We are proud to say that SAISD holds one of the most successful college fairs in San Antonio! 
     Last year we had over 90 colleges and universities from all across Texas and the U.S. send representatives to speak with and hand out materials to students and parents. We had a very nice turn out with over 500 students attending. We expect this year to be just as successful.  
     NEW this year!  We will be hosting an exclusive Meet and Greet for SAISD's Top 10% of students prior to the start of the fair. Here they will have one on one time with select universities who have elected to participate. 
     University Medical System will be on hand again this year to give free meningitis immunizations to students while supplies last.  See you there! 

SAISD at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) College & Career Fair at the Grand Hyatt 2016

Submitted by Guest Blogger:  JoAnn Buitron, SAISD Family & Student Support Services

Ms. Buitron and her son, Noah 

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) is meeting for its' 30th Annual Conference at the Grand Hyatt in San Antonio, October 8-10, 2016.  HACU hosted a free college and career fair for middle and high school students and their families and college students on Sunday, October 9, 2016 from 2-5 pm. There were over 100 exhibitors from local and national colleges and universities, the military, as well as nationwide employers offering internships and employment opportunities for college students.  There were also six different workshops for students and their parents to help equip them for college success. The topics of these workshops included: Career Exploration, Admissions 101, Testing Dos and Don'ts, A Parent's Role in College Success, and Financial Aid.

I attended the HACU College and Career Fair with my son Noah, who is a senior at Edison High School. Noah has been a part of the SAISD Gear Up 2 program since he was an 8th grader at Rhodes MS.  My son and I have participated in numerous student and parent workshops, academic and enrichment camps and university tours to help us on our way to college.

Parental engagement plays a major role on ones child's academic and life success from Pre-school to High School and beyond. The HACU College and Career Fair was another great opportunity to learn about college and university options and make sure that we continue on the right path to higher education.

Please remember to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  FAFSA filing opened on October 1st.  The FAFSA application is easier to complete thanks to the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.   

Lots of info on colleges 

College Swag

Remember earlier FAFSA deadlines this year! 

Burbank High School All-College Counselors present FAFSA at the Football Game

Submitted by Guest Blogger: Burbank College & Career Readiness Counselor Susan Melendez

On Friday night, September 30th, 2016, at our Parent Night Football game against Sam Houston our College Readiness Team (Alma Moreno-FASFA Counselor, Alex Vallejo-Counselor, Cindy Cardenas-Counselor, Tanya Flores-Counselor, Susan Melendez-Lead Counselor/CCRC) dressed up as FASFA Fairies to promote awareness and kickoff FASFA.  Our Burbank cheerleaders preformed a FASFA cheer, FASFA announcements were made throughout the game and our FASFA Fairies handed out FASFA $ with important times and dates for our campus FASFA services for the month of October.

Way to go Susan Melendez, College & Career Readiness Counselor and the All-College Team at Burbank High School. 

Back to School College Fair at Fox Tech 2016

Blog post submitted by:

Guest Blogger:  Dr. Linda Vargas-Lew, College and Career Readiness Counselor

Over 125 students at Fox Tech and Travis ECHS attended the 2016 Back to School College Fair 

      The fall semester for seniors and many high school students’ means getting ready for their pre-college journey by utilizing Naviance to research the “right fit”, listing the colleges they are interested in or applying to, searching scholarships, or visiting a campus or learning about colleges visiting their campus!  The Health and Law Professions Magnet and Advanced Learning Academy at Fox Tech hosted a “Back to School” college fair Monday, September 26^th from 11:30 AM -1:15 PM for their high school students and parents, while also extending an invitation to fellow SAISD high schools. Travis Early College High School students joined Fox Tech students to take advantage of exploring their pre-college options which consisted of over 30+ colleges and universities throughout San Antonio, Texas and the United States were in attendance.

Fox Tech Students visiting the Harvard table at the college fair.

     In the spirit of 80-50-10, Fox Tech will be hosting the “Back to School” fair annually in concurrence with the North American Coalition for Christian Admission Professionals (NACCAP) which is held the same day in the evening in our city.  

Here is a list of colleges in attendance at the Fox Tech College Fair on Sept. 26, 2016: 

1.       Alamo Community Colleges - San Antonio Community College

·         Fire Science, Emergency Management and Homeland Security

·         Mortuary Science

·         Parent Leadership Academy

2.       Alamo Community Colleges - St. Philip’s Community College

·         Early Childhood and Family Studies Program

·         Medical Laboratory Technician Program

·         Respiratory Care Technology Program

·         National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense

·         Surgical Technology Department

·         Vocational Nurse Education Program

3.       Abilene Christian University

4.       Army U.S.

5.       Café College

6.       California Baptist University - Riverside

7.       Harvard University – Cambridge, MA

8.       Howard Payne University – Brownwood, TX

9.       Huston-Tillotson University – Austin, TX

10.   North Park University – Chicago, IL

11.   Northwestern College – Orange City, IA

12.   Ohio State University - Columbus

13.   Oklahoma Baptist University – Shawnee

14.   Our Lady of the Lake University - TX

15.   Patrick Henry College – Purcellville, VA

16.   Point Loma Nazarene University – San Diego, CA

17.   Saint Louis University – St. Louis, MO

18.   San Antonio Area Foundation – Scholarships

19.   San Antonio Education Partnership

20.   Southeastern University – Lakeland, FL

21.   St. Mary’s University - School of Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) – TX

22.   St. Mary's University - TX

23.   Texas A&M University - College Station

24.   Texas A&M University - San Antonio

25.   Texas Army National Guard

26.   Texas Tech University – Lubbock, TX

27.   Texas Tech University – School of the Art

28.   Trinity University – TX

29.   University of Houston – Victoria, TX

30.   University of Pennsylvania - Philadelphia

31.   University of Texas – Arlington

32.   University of Texas - Austin

33.   University of the Incarnate Word - School of Osteopathic Medicine, TX

34.   University of the Incarnate Word – TX

Great New Learning: NACAC 2016 is in the books!

The hustle and bustle at the Columbus Convention Center has winded down.  The organization estimated over 7,400 high school and college professionals who attended the national event this year.  Today's presentations were fabulous.  I started the day in a session titled:  College Readiness, Access and Success for Low Income and First Gen Students.  This session was very informative, two of the main things that help students succeed are mentoring and access to resources.  One of the resources named was College Green Light, which helps first gen, trail blazing students with college choice and mentorships.  Another resource named was Questbridge.  There was also much banter about connecting with students and making sure that there are safety nets to help them succeed.  And, about the importance of providing adequate numbers of professionals who reflect diversity.
     The next session was hosted by National Public Radio Correspondent Claudio Sanchez.  He spoke to a filled room with about 300 folks.  His talk was passionate and focused on college access, affordability and equity.  His story about assimilation to the United States and for him, about having to focus on precision of speech growing up really got me reflecting on the journey that some Hispanics in the US face.  He talked a lot about educational equity and how this starts in the school and begins with school administration at the local level. The school is a microcosm of the community.  He went on to talk about school and college counselors as gatekeepers and keyholders to opportunities that can be transformative for young people. He also mentioned that those working to catapult students into the future often do not get the gratitude that is much deserved.  I was invigorated about the work we do in SAISD after listening to his speech.
   

Me and Mr. Claudio Sanchez, Education Correspondent from National Public Radio

The last session of today was entitled:  College Exploration and Middle School, the Power of Partnership.  Here is a description:  Research shows that providing middle school students with relavent college info can positively impact the college and career choices that students make in high school and beyond.  A panel from Ft. Worth, Texas talked about how they partner with industry to support their career days and college fairs.  

Ft Worth Info on Middle School College & Career Expo

Fort Worth ISD utilizes a College and Career Advising Committee to include:  college, business and community representatives to help plot and plan student academic and career counseling activities. 

IROC stands for I'm Ready for the Opportunity of College

The "IROC"  I'm Ready for the Opportunity of College is a summer enrichment program facilitated by the school counseling team in Fort Worth.  IT helps middle school students research and explore career potential.  Kids 2 College is a curriculum that FWISD uses and is sponsored by Sallie Mae.  Learn More Here. Be sure to check it out! 

And, of course we can not forget the always enlightening College Campus Tours! This gives your students the reality of envisioning themselves on a college campus, in the dining hall, in the book store and all over!  Call your local College Admissions Offices to find out which campus will host your middle school kiddos.  

FWISD takes their middle school students on college campus tours

The NACAC college counseling fair had hundreds of representatives from national and international colleges and it did not disappoint.  We networked at a few tables represented and are coming back to SAISD with a ton of counselor swag and some really great information.  

NACAC College Counseling Fair with over 400 national and international colleges and universities!

SAISD at the National Association for College Admissions Counseling Conference 2016

The excitement and passion for high school and college counseling was on slate today at NACAC 2016.  The opening speaker was from Trinity Washington University,  President Patricia Macguire. She gave an incredible, awe-inspriring speech which focused on college access and inclusion and moving forward with being thoughtful and deliberate towards diversity.  She talked about grit and fortitude and how college representatives have the opportunity to include and change the landscape of colleges and universities across the nation.  She talked about what the future will look like and how colleges all over the nation should be courageous in working with non-traditional college going populations.  Ms. Macguire also talked about the Dream Act and providing opportunity for this population of students. Her speech was very moving and inspiring. She is a real advocate for multi-culturalism and cross-cultural effectiveness.  I was enamored with her talk.

Dr. Vargas-Lew talking to Hank Ewert from Austin College in Sherman, TX at the NACAC Conference

Before the speech, we were able to network and we met with Mr. Hank Ewert, Dir of Admissions from Austin College, Colleges that Change Lives.  He talked about his programs and agreed to come present to our high school counselors on the opportunities available to students at Austin College in Sherman, TX. 

The first session I attended this afternoon after the keynote was called:  How America Pays for College:  What Counselors Need to Know.  There was a vast panel and the session was facilitated by Sallie Mae.  They talked a lot about "free money"  and that recent research shows about 38% of folks pay for college through some sort of scholarship while others invest in their child's talent to help increase scholarship opportunities.  They also showed numbers on financial aid and pell eligible recipients.  

     On the way to my session, I had the great honor of meeting AJ Scott with the United States Air Force Academy.  I love the military and connect with these fine institutions of higher learning any chance I get.  I extended a personal invite to Mr. Scott to come to the SAISD College Fair on Oct 26. 

     We had the opportunity to catch up with the great YWLA Rebecca Salazar at the end of our day. Rebecca is very active in the state affiliate Texas Association of College Admissions Counseling, TACAC organization so we ended the day attending a delegate meeting.  We heard about changes to bylaws and to the SGPG, NACAC's Statement of Principles of Good Practice which is the cornerstone of ethical college admissions practices.  As I grow and learn in my new position, I am grateful for professionals like Rebecca who are trailblazers in the world of college counseling and college admissions.  

Dr. Vargas-Lew, me and Rebecca Salazar at NACAC 2016

I also have to give a big shout out to TACAC President and UTSA Admissions Director, Dr. Beverly Woodson-Day.  She has been an incredible leader of the TACAC organization.  She is one of my favorites and she invited all of our counselors to the UTSA/Texas State update in October She even promised a free lunch a Maggianos on I-10.  Yummy!  Please register.

Rebecca, Dr. Woodson-Day and Dr. Vargas-Lew

I also want to remind all of our High School Counselors to please register for TACAC's Super Conference in April. It is a great opportunity for us to grow our skill set.

TACAC Super Conference will happen in San Antonio!  CCR/Lead Counselors, make sure to register early

We saw our great friends from the College Board, Ismael Rodriguez and Heather Rodriguez.  We talked about upcoming products and the possibility of co-presenting on a topic at TACAC.  

Rebecca, Heather from College Board and me

Goodies to throw up and down from the Big 12 schools!  Yeah!!

We ended the day at the Colombus Athenaeum,  where the Big 12 schools hosted a social and we were able to pick up a whole lot of goodies.  I made sure to get a whole lot for all of our counselors! 

NACAC was awesome! 

Overall, today was a great day.  We are going to do our best to work in an Ohio State University Tour tomorrow.  Learning lots of great things and making a whole lot of new connections at this bustling think tank of ideas located at the intersection of high school counseling and college admissions. 

We have arrived in Columbus, Ohio for NACAC 2016!

     Today was filled with airports and travel.  We landed in Ohio around 4:30 PM, CST and took a cab to our hotel which is adjacent to the Columbus Convention Center in a bustling, downtown metroplex. Tonight, Dr. Vargas-Lew and I had the distinct pleasure of dining at Mitchell's Steakhouse on 3rd Street, courtesy of NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghi.  Here is a video which highlights NYU Abu Dhabi.
     The networks and connections made at our table tonight were hands down, amazing.  I was seated next to Jonathan Williams, Associate Dean and Director of Admissions.  He talked a lot about the NYU campus and asked us our thoughts on the Coalition for Access and Affordability Application. We all had a lot to say about this new platform for students to apply to college and the opportunity that this application may provide students and compared it to the Common Application.  Then, we talked about the Abu Dhabi and Shanghi campuses and he talked about counselor visits.  For NYU Abu Dhabi, flight is covered by the university and it is about 14 hours out of NYC, based on conversations of some of the other high school counselors at the table, who have already been on the trip.  I gave Jonathan my card, as he stated that he would connect with me when the opportunity for counselor tours happen again, so that our counselors may take the tour to see NYU Abu Dhabi, which I think would be amazing!
     Seated at my table were two other interesting fellows, Sanjay from inner city Washington DC and Gunnar from a boarding school in Hudson, OH.  I learned a whole lot from the dynamics of both of these folks, as the student populations they serve were unsimilar.
     Sanjay's school does a lot of work on college fit and having his kids find the colleges based on where they fall percentage wise in relation to college admit profiles and not necessarily Top 9.  In fact, he talked about eliminating the "safety, reach and target"  language.  He also had some great ideas about incorporating the student's families into the college selection process.  He talked about innovative ideas to help his first generation population such as a "letting go"  college drop off simulation weekend for family and talking to college reps about graduation rates in relation to their specific school and not what the national graduation numbers say.  When I asked Gunnar from the boarding school, about how he gets his population of students to apply to colleges, he quoted a famous NACAC past president. Frank Sachs' philosophy that “college is a match to be made, not a prize to be won.” 
     He also talked about how his boarding school recently moved away from offering AP courses and how they allow teachers to teach and if they'd like to administer the AP test at the end of the course, they can. He also shared TONS of college tours offered for counselors that are FREE including paid flights such as: Decemberfest and Centerpoint college tours which are well known and other counselors at the table seemed to highly agree!  

From L-R:  Gunnar, Sanjay, Patrick and me at the NYU event at Mitchell's in Columbus. 

     Overall it was a really great night. We ended the night talking to Daniela Segrove, the South region's rep for NYU Abu Dhabi.  She talked to us about an undocumented high achieving student with every obstacle in front of her, who broke the barrier to attend college and is now at NYU Abu Dhabi.  She will be sending us a video to share that she uses for counselor and student recruiting purposes. I will look at that and share on the SAISD website.
     I must mention that Linda was whisked away the first part of supper to a different event at a different restaurant in Columbus where she had a personal meet and greet with David Coleman, President of the College Board.  She was able to give him an earful on the topics that are pertinent to to the population we serve.  She appreciated his transparency and sincerity and appreciation for counselors and staff who are working daily with students.  They talked about college waivers, PSAT, Khan Academy linking and reports and a whole lot of other great College Board topics.

Dr. Vargas-Lew with College Board President Coleman and former Dean of Undergrad Admissions at Stanford University turned Chief of Membership, Governance and Global Higher Education with the College Board, Jim Montoya

We have had a great start to the conference and are looking forward to Day Two!

Preparing for NACAC 2016!

We are excited that San Antonio ISD will have a team of three at the National Association of College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) Annual Conference in Columbus, Ohio this year!

• Rebecca Salazar, YWLA 
• Dr. Linda Vargas-Lew, Advanced Learning Academy and the Health and Law Professions Magnet at Fox Tech 
• Victoria Bustos, SAISD Student Support  

Our school counselors at all levels are working hard to support SAISD's 80-50-10 vision of getting more students to college.  The NACAC conference is a premier event in the world of college admissions and high school counseling.  Two worlds cross-pollinate in cultivating college access and success.  It will be a great opportunity to network with hundreds of admissions representatives from all over the nation.  We can't wait to tell them about all the great things happening in SAISD and to make some lasting connections in the college admissions field.  Any opportunity to grow our college networks is a great investment in our student's futures.

Further, here are some more great benefits of attending NACAC:

Benefits of Attending

Investments in improving professional knowledge and skills, compare notes with colleagues

• Recharge your passion for the profession. You are an important asset to your school and the students and parents you serve. When you come back recharged, you will pass along that energy and enthusiasm to your colleagues. Creating a better experience for everyone.
• Find the newest trends, innovations, technologies, and identify best practices available in the profession. You will also fine-tune your skills, learn new techniques, network with peers, and learn about issues affecting the profession and the students and families you serve. You will discover how to enhance student interactions; explore the social, political, or other issues affecting the field; learn how to reach various audiences; and find out how your institution can benefit from the latest technology.
• Meet the best and the brightest in the profession. With more than 105 educational sessions, 14 learning lounge sessions, four preconference workshops, and ten preconference seminars, you and your school will reap the benefits of best practices, success stories, tools, and practical solutions. You will also have the opportunity to turn your biggest challenges into your greatest accomplishments with help from experts, leaders in the field, and fellow attendees.
• Be a force for change in your school by sharing your knowledge with peers. Learn successful methods and best practices from leaders in the profession and become skilled at applying these methods when you collaborate with colleagues.

More good information to come.  SAISD's Core Values:  Teamwork, Student-Centered, Passion, Integrity, High Expectations, Commitment, Respect, Passion  

Learn more on the SAISD School Counseling Website.