In August, College Possible Chicago welcomed our new team of AmeriCorps coaches. Over the next 10 months, coaches will provide support and mentorship to our high school and college students, helping them earn admission to, enroll in and persist through college.
To prepare for their new roles, all coaches participated in an intensive, three-week onboarding and training at the start of their service. This orientation, known as “Welcome Weeks,” helps to familiarize coaches with College Possible’s curriculum and programming and the needs of our students. It also allows our new coaches to build community and get to know one another and our team.
As the school year kicks off, we asked a few of our coaches to share reflections on how their service is going so far. For Kyle, serving as a coach means returning to the same school building – Morgan Park High School – where he was once a student.
It truly feels like a full-circle moment going back to Morgan Park to carry out my service this year,” says Kyle. “When I was a student, I never would have thought that at some point juniors and seniors would be coming to me for advice and support.”
Kyle has enjoyed getting to know his students and seeing how excited they are to begin their college journeys. The skills and knowledge he is gaining in this role will be especially helpful in his future career in school counseling, a field he hopes to pursue after his year of service. “College Possible is providing me invaluable experience working with students and alongside school staff members, which will benefit me one day as a school counselor,” Kyle adds.
Other coaches, like Abby, are also excited to gain direct exposure to students and their needs, which they can apply to careers in education or policy. “I wanted to wait a few years to gain more experience before going to grad school and this role with College Possible provides a unique opportunity to immerse myself in a field I’m interested in studying and working in,” says Abby. As a coach at Stephen Tyng Mather High School this year, Abby is looking forward to connecting with students and collaborating with staff and others in the school community, which she knows will benefit her in her future career.
For all coaches, the start of the year is a busy, exciting time as they begin meeting with students in after-school sessions and recruiting new students into the program. Logan, who is serving as a coach at Thomas Kelly High School, describes how eager students are to jump into college planning. “Often, students I’m recruiting are so excited to begin talking with me about college that they’ll ask a ton of questions before we even schedule our first official session,” says Logan. Seeing the curiosity and motivation of students has been a highlight of her service so far.
College Possible Chicago is incredibly grateful for all our AmeriCorps coaches who have chosen to dedicate a year of service to supporting students this school year. If you know a recent college graduate who is interested in in serving as an AmeriCorps coach, encourage them to apply today at CollegePossible.org/AmeriCorps!
