At the end of each school year, College Possible asks AmeriCorps coaches to evaluate their year of service and asks if they have any suggestions on how to improve the coach experience. Last year’s responses indicated that many AmeriCorps members who moved to Minnesota for their term of service came into the role being unfamiliar with many of the in-state colleges College Possible students are commonly interested in attending.
Each year, the program events team hosts ‘Beyond the Brochure‘. This college partner event is an opportunity for coaches to learn in-depth information about colleges from admissions counselors. “While these events are very informative,” says AmeriCorps coach-turned-Program Coordinator Sophia Jilk, “these events don’t always meet the full needs of coaches, especially those who weren’t familiar with Minnesota’s wide array of schools. However, programs staff knew they had to implement more support and thus, College Knowledge Experts were born.”
This “college expert” staff member will be the point person for coaches who have questions about a specific school. With seven program coordinators on the high school access team, the team is large enough to divide these colleges into seven different school types so each program coordinator can become an expert in their respective area. These seven school types include:
- Greater Minnesota private colleges
- Historically black colleges and universities (HBCU)
- Minnesota metro-area private colleges
- Minnesota public universities
- Out of state private and public schools
- Trade schools and community colleges
- The University of Wisconsin schools
Programs staff added a session about each school type during Welcome Weeks orientation training this year. Program coordinators are working to update the database with relevant information and have joined professional development groups for each school type they are responsible for. Now, if a student asks their coach a question about Hamline and the coach is unfamiliar with that school, the coach can quickly connect with a program coordinator and get the answer in a more efficient manner.
“I thought these sessions were very helpful” says new AmeriCorps coach Qiana Dukek. “I appreciated the wide array of colleges that were covered and how each type of college operates. It gave me a lot of valuable information I would have otherwise not known about. I also liked how they were nice, simple sessions that occurred at the end of our often-heavy training days during Welcome Weeks. They helped me de-stress at the end of the day. These were sessions that I didn’t feel like I had to write intensive notes on. I was able to just absorb the information and then go home on a lighter note.”
By adding College Knowledge Experts, the programs staff can better support coaches as they work with students to find their best fit school. “Coaches will know who to turn to when questions arise,” continues Sophia. “They will know where to find more information about a certain school, and, perhaps more importantly, College Possible students experience with these schools. This way, coaches can better support students and ultimately, students will feel more prepared to attend their chosen college.”
