College counseling options available for PBHS students

Poplar Bluff High School is participating in a program to help seniors see what opportunities are available to them post-high school.

Khaiuna Ayetimiyi started last year as a college advisor at PBHS. In that role she meets with all seniors during the first semester and all juniors and seniors during the second semester to address their plans for after graduation and what they need to do next. This can include helping find scholarships, filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and applying for schools.

Ayetimiyi came to PBHS as part of a program called the rootEd Alliance, which is working to bring these college advisors to rural high schools. There’s six schools in Missouri and three in Tennessee that are part of the program currently. The Alliance is a group of funders and organizations that help pay for recent college graduates to take these rolls in communities that might not otherwise be able to afford a college advisor.

Principal Michael Owen said the goal of the program is to help students understand the opportunities and resources that are available to them.

“I think we still need to promote it more with our students to make sure that they are aware and they have the ability to have some time with (Ayetimiyi),” Owen said. “A lot of kids don’t know about the resources that are out there and if they will take the time, she has the knowledge and can help them explore some of those pathways. They might not even know some of the possibilities are there so they don’t even bother talking to a counselor or going out and trying to find something online themselves.”

The two most common questions Ayetimiyi hears are how to pay for college and where to start. Mostly, she sees students looking at going to Three Rivers College, Southeast Missouri State University, Arkansas State, Missouri State and University of Missouri.

Starting this year, a TRC counselor who works specifically with PBHS students will be coming to the campus once a week to meet with students as well. Owen said that’s going to help the students connect with somebody at TRC with more specific questions and free Ayetimiyi up some to meet with students who are looking to go somewhere else.

“That’s not just our seniors that are leaving,” Owen said. “That can be our juniors or seniors who are taking dual credit through Three Rivers. So, they’re here but they have a question about a dual credit class that they’re taking. They’re going to actually have a Three Rivers staff member here and a counselor here who can help them.”

Last year, PBHS had 319 seniors and Ayetimiyi had to meet with all of them. She said organization is a big part of making sure that she’s talking to everybody and getting all of the students the help they need.

“We have a system called Grace that the College Advising Corps uses,” Ayetimiyi said. “I actually group people into categories based on where they want to go and what they want to do. I also color coordinate my Excel sheets.”

Along with having Ayetimiyi available for students, she’s helping to put together FAFSA nights, which the school is trying to have at least once a month. Owen said these are historically not very well attended. Last year’s first night had about 50 students attend out of the about 100 who signed up. Ayetimiyi said each month there were fewer students in attendance.

The FAFSA nights are something that will continue this year, however, because helping any student is important. Ayetimiyi said she’s looking at holding them every other week this year.

“There will always be people who say ‘I wish the high school would help with that’ and we want to help with that,” Owen said. “It’s just getting that message out that we’re willing to help with this, we’re trying to help with this. If a parent comes in and asks for help, we’re going to help them. It might not be then and there, but we’re going to try to help them the best we can for our kids.”

Ayetimiyi said she can help students who are interested in joining the military as well by answering some questions and helping them get in contact with recruiters who can go into more detail.

“I don’t want them to think that I’m just here for college,” she said. “If they don’t want to go to college, I know it’s not for everyone. Even the ones that want to go to a job, the biggest thing is to have them really think about ‘this is how much a house costs, this is how much rent costs. Will you be able to pay that with what you’re making at this amount of hours?’”

Owen said some of the students who are talking about not going to college are saying that because they don’t know the opportunities are there. Having Ayetimiyi at the school will help some of those students open their eyes and see that it can work out if college is what they want to pursue.

“If they don’t, that’s fine,” he said. “But let’s make sure that you at least have the information to see if that is a route you do want to take. Too many times they say no because they don’t think it’s possible for them and it is.”