Bottom Line

This week, Bottom Line Success Counselors are meeting with college students on campus while Access Counselors are providing support to high school students in preparation for hitting “submit.” As we begin the start of the school year, we decided to get some counselor perspectives on their first meetings with students. Below are some of the highlights from the past two weeks of student meetings!

Jabril Robinson – Success Counselor – Bridgewater State, WIT, Boston University

“It feels like you’re giving back. I love being on my alma mater campus and interacting with students and seeing familiar faces. I’ll see old professors or staff walking around and it makes me really excited to be there. I enjoy helping out students who go to my alma mater. It’s a lot of fun to be around that same atmosphere.”

Kate Fiori – Success Counselor – Northeastern University, UMass Dartmouth, Suffolk University

“A highlight from the week was meeting with one of my students and talking about his love for UMass Dartmouth. He’s learned so much from the school and is really excited about graduating. We’re always discussing what he wants to do in the future. He hopes to one day work with children and apply what he’s learned at UMass Dartmouth to his professional life.”

Perry Hull – Senior Success Counselor – Roxbury Community College, Bunker Hill Community College

“This week I met with an administrator at RCC and we discussed the ways in which we could better support students. She was super helpful in providing resources that we need while on campus and it’s always great to meet with leaders of the schools whose campuses we are on. During my campus visits the past two weeks, I’ve been focused on making sure students’ health insurance is set, making sure their bills are paid and ensuring they feel good about their classes. During meetings I try to have them think ahead about how long they want to stay at community college and prepare them for next steps.”

Kira Terril – Career Team Manager

“With my students, we are really hitting the ground running. I have a lot of fall grads so there is a big focus on getting students ready to apply for jobs and life after graduation. It’s great to see them come back from their summers and see how much they’ve changed from internships. I get to see how much more prepared they are for their careers.”

Evan Soken – Access Counselor

“I like first meetings in general. It’s an awesome chance to get students engaged with the program and get them excited about Bottom Line. During first meetings we’re able to lay out the college application process and get students excited about Bottom Line. It can be an enlightening process for them in the beginning.”

Theresa Pickens – Senior Access Counselor

“I’ve been working on helping students with their Posse and QuestBridge applications. I’ve enjoyed seeing what schools all my students are applying to and helping them work through which schools they will attend. During the summer most students aren’t thinking about the college application process, but then the school year comes around and they realize how soon the process begins. Two students in particular come to mind. They’re great students. It’s cool to go through the college application writing process with them and watch them evolve in their writing.”