When I walked into my flagship school as a College Possible coach, I felt like I was stepping back in time.
Just a few years earlier, I had been a student in those same hallways. I sat in those classrooms, navigated AP and IB coursework and thought constantly about what my future might look like. I never imagined I would return as a coach helping students work through many of the same questions.
That shared experience has shaped how I approach coaching every day. When students talk about feeling overwhelmed by classes, unsure about college or stressed about their next steps, I do not have to imagine what that feels like. I remember it. That memory has become the foundation of how I use empathy in my work.
One of the things I value most about College Possible is that many coaches bring that kind of lived experience to advising. We are often only a few years removed from the students we support, which allows us to build trust quickly and connect in a way that feels immediate and authentic.
Students are often surprised to learn I went to their school. They ask whether I had the same teachers, took the same classes or felt the same pressures they are feeling now. In many cases, the answer is yes.
Those conversations create connection, but I have also learned that empathy is more than shared experience. It is a coaching skill that has to be practiced intentionally. It shapes how I listen, how I respond and how I help students take their next step forward.
Still, returning to my former high school has come with unexpected moments. Even now, I sometimes struggle to call former teachers by their first names. Despite graduating from college and working alongside them, part of me still sees them as my teachers.
At the same time, I have learned that familiarity with the building does not automatically make me an experienced coach.
This is my first full-time role working one-on-one with students, and like many first-year coaches, I had to adjust quickly. Early on, I relied heavily on the support around me, including my program coordinator, co-coach, fellow coaches and school staff. One of the most important lessons I learned is that even when coaching feels independent, you are never truly working alone at College Possible.
Over time, I have grown more confident in my role. Conversations with students feel more natural and I am more comfortable helping them navigate college decisions. Just as importantly, I have learned how to turn empathy into action by asking better questions and listening more closely.
Then came a moment that put everything into perspective.
One day, a student walked into our office and asked for “Ms. Lee.”
Hearing that title in the same building where I had once been a student stopped me for a moment. I did not enter this role thinking of myself as a teacher, and part of me still sees myself as the student I once was.
But that moment reminded me how much has changed.
To my students, I am not just someone who used to sit in these classrooms. I am a trusted adult who understands their experience because I have lived it. That lived experience allows me to meet students with empathy, but also with clarity and guidance as they navigate important decisions about their futures.
That realization has been one of the most meaningful parts of my service year.
Returning to my former high school has allowed me to reconnect with a community that shaped me while also giving me the opportunity to support students as they shape their own paths forward.
I am grateful for the chance to do this work and even more grateful that I get to do it in the place where my own journey began.
