Chris graduated from Carleton College in June 2024 with a degree in Religious Studies and minors in Spanish and Educational Studies. While studying, Chris served as a resident advisor, departmental assistant and student-advisor for the Religion Department, and writing assistant in the Writing Center. Throughout college, he also played Ultimate Frisbee on Carleton’s D3 team, serving as team captain for two years.
College Possible and Carleton College have a strong partnership, so Chris was very familiar with the organization and knew it was a great way to gain experience in the educational field and serve his community after graduation.
How did you get involved with College Possible? What motivated you?
After toying with the idea of being a middle-school teacher and pursuing licensure, I concluded that it would be best to do something within education that wouldn’t put me in charge of my own classroom quite yet. I looked more into College Possible and realized it could be a great way to introduce myself to education in a measured way – I get to develop relationships with students, work in a school environment collaborating with teachers and administrators, and help students realize their full potential. It ended up being a great decision; I get to work towards my own career and life goals while serving students in a meaningful and lasting way.
Can you tell me about a memorable experience with a student? What were you helping them with? What did you learn from your interaction with that student?
I had a great interaction with a student who moved to the United States 18 months ago. They are very enthusiastic about pursuing further education after high school but were nervous about college because they weren’t familiar with the United States education system. We spent some time talking about the basics of the United States higher education system, looking at two-year and four-year schools and thinking about how graduate school might open some career paths down the road. This naturally led to questions about costs, but we were able to open up our student database, Overgrad, input their family’s income, and get an accurate picture of what it might cost annually to attend school. The student was shocked that it could be feasible for them to attend college; they had thought higher education was always expensive and would likely be unaffordable. The student came away from our conversation feeling not only more prepared for the journey ahead of them, but also more excited to attend college – we were able to realize that school is affordable, a strong investment in their own future, and hopefully fun.
The whole interaction was a great reminder of all of the different preconceived notions students have about going to college. Looking at the real costs of college is a relief for some students and concerning for others who may have thought it was going to be more affordable. Every student comes from a different background, and working together to understand the basics of the college process and establish realistic expectations for the future helps lay the foundation for a successful college experience and life after graduation.
What would be lost if College Possible didn’t exist? Why is College Possible important?
Without College Possible, lots of students would simply miss out on the support they need to make it to college, much less succeed once they get there. Every school we work in has programs to help students access higher education, but these programs are minimally able to actively seek out students and help them get their college process started. This means that, unless students proactively seek support from counselors and coordinators at their school, they are much less likely to start their process early enough to apply to schools, earn scholarships, and keep their future options open. College Possible helps reach these students and, beyond providing our own support, gets them involved with other support systems at school.
College Possible’s interpersonal coaching approach leads to strong relationships with the students we serve, which, in turn, fosters early and eager engagement with the college process. When coaches are invested in students’ futures, students realize that their future is worth working for; the coach and the student push each other to a common end of the student’s goals.
Students at each school we serve would be less prepared for life after high school – they would be behind in the college process, would lack information about financial aid and scholarships, and would be less likely to succeed once they make it to college. But perhaps more importantly, students would be bereft of the support of a caring coach who works hard to help them achieve their goals for the future. Navigating the college process can be challenging, and the concrete and emotional support coaches provide throughout students’ junior and senior years greatly increases their odds of success in applying and helps build crucial skills for success in college and afterwards.
What are your goals or dreams for the future?
I want to finish off this term with all the students I serve, feeling that they have concretely moved towards their college goals. I am currently working with only juniors, so all of them have one more year of high school before they move on to their post-secondary plans. It is hard to feel prepared for the whirlwind of senior year, so my hope for these students is that they feel as ready as possible to get things done next fall.
I’m still not sure what I want to do in the future – I’m really enjoying working at Washburn High School and am hoping to sit in on some classes this year, so hopefully that will give me a good idea for whether I want to pursue teaching or not. I’ve spent the past two years thinking about what comes next, so I want to focus on staying in the moment and enjoying the passage of time. I have lots of non-career goals for the future – I want to continue being a great cat-dad to my kitties, Badger and Greta, to go to Ultimate Frisbee Club Nationals, maintain my Spanish fluency, and to be a good friend.
Do you want to help inspire students like Chris does? Learn more about serving with College Possible. You could be a critical support system and coach to a student throughout their college journey.
