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Founded in 2011 by Steve Dobo, Zero Dropouts (ZD) is a community-based educational social enterprise with a national scope. The company provides a wide-range, and ever growing, array of programs and services that are custom-fit to the needs of each school district it partners with. Each program/service is designed to influence three key metrics for districts and schools: increasing on-time graduation rates, decreasing annual dropout rates, and increasing post-secondary enrollment rates. ZD distinguishes itself by being innovative, data and research oriented, goal-focused, relationship-based, and willing to dive into difficult areas to achieve exemplary results.
ZD is seeking a Post-Secondary Advisor to work within the Greeley-Evans 6 District. Since 2016, ZD has been partnering with Greeley-Evans 6 high schools to implement activities that increase student matriculation and persistence at post-secondary institutions. This collaboration is grant funded through the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative and is projected to impact 650 high school seniors, working to ensure their success in the post-secondary realm. The position is based in Greeley, CO.
Responsibilities Include:
The Post-Secondary Advisor will work in conjunction with Zero Dropouts staff, Greeley-Evans 6, and surrounding post-secondary institutions (mainly AIMs Community College and the University of Northern Colorado) to assist Greeley-Evans 6 seniors in applying, enrolling, and matriculating, and persisting at a post-secondary institution.
Outreach to approximately 650 high school seniors from Northridge High School and GAP to determine those who have intentions to pursue post-secondary education and are not receiving other assistance
Conduct an intake and assessment process for each participating student to evaluate their college-readiness ability to succeed in higher education
Provide financial aid support in the areas of FAFSA completion, interpreting financial aid award letters, identifying sources for gap funding of unmet need, applying for supplementary loan applications, explaining tuition bills, understanding payment plan options, advocating for additional award dollars, additional scholarship search, last dollar scholarships, loan entrance counseling, signing master promissory notes, verifying residency and FAFSA renewal
Work successfully with parents and other members of student support networks to successfully support the student in matriculating to higher education
Support students in understanding and completing essential tasks in the post-secondary processes of housing, advising, registering for classes, accessing health records, taking and interpreting academic placement tests, orientations, obtaining a physical and proof of required immunizations, and providing proof of high school graduation.
Create activities to introduce students to post-secondary institutions and programs, including meeting key higher education support personnel, such as financial aid counselors, housing advisors, academic advisors, first generation support program personnel, and career assessment staff.
Develop tip sheets with tasks to complete for successful student matriculation to each post-secondary institution frequented by Greeley-Evans 6 seniors
Utilize the ICAP, Naviance, Google Drive, and appropriate means of social media to create a series of touch points to remind students of important tasks to complete during the second semester senior year and the summer after graduating in order to successfully matriculate to higher education in the Fall of 2020
Formulate and track systems and processes that verify that each task has been completed by each student
Support, advise and counsel students on the social-emotional issues that impact successful matriculation to post-secondary
Act as a liaison between Greeley-Evans 6 and the most-frequented post-secondary institutions by seniors
Coordinate the support work with students and staff who assist with similar post-secondary preparation activities
Assist students in accessing the online portals utilized by post-secondary institutions to convey information to incoming freshman
Support students in signing up and taking placement tests, such as the SAT and Accuplacer
Help students explore concurrent enrollment options during their senior year and the following summer to get a jumpstart on their post-secondary plans
Maintain constant contact with caseload to ensure that they are completing all matriculation tasks in a timely manner
Connect students to wrap around support services when necessary
Other duties include attending ZD virtual and in-person staff meetings, assisting with the general development of the organization, speaking on behalf of the organization when appropriate, attending relevant community and school meetings, along with other duties as assigned.
Ideal candidate must possess:
A bachelors degree in counseling, education, social work, human services, psychology, or other related field and minimum of two years experience working with high risk, adolescent populations in high school and post-secondary institutions
Extensive knowledge and experience with post-secondary educational opportunities within the state of Colorado
Extensive knowledge and experience with post-secondary financial aid counseling, including completion of the FAFSA, interpreting financial aid award letters, identifying sources for gap funding of unmet need, applying for supplementary loan applications, explaining tuition bills, understanding payment plan options, advocating for additional award dollars, conducting additional scholarship search, finding last dollar scholarships, providing loan entrance counseling, signing master promissory notes and verifying residency and FAFSA renewal.
Understanding of post-secondary processes for students to access housing, advising, registering for classes, accessing health records, taking and interpreting academic placement tests, orientations, obtaining a physical and proof of required immunizations, and providing proof of high school graduation.
Knowledge and experience with all of the tasks necessary for high school seniors to complete to successfully matriculate to higher education
Ability to work with parents and other members of student support networks to successfully support the student in matriculating to higher education
Ability to support, advise and counsel students on the social-emotional issues that impact successful matriculation to post-secondary
Experience with serving low-income and first generation college-going students
Extensive understanding and experience with the tasks, processes and requirements of getting into and succeeding in post-secondary education
Knowledge and experience with online portals utilized by post-secondary institutions to convey information to incoming freshman
Knowledge of placement tests- Accuplacer, ACT and SAT
Knowledge of the developmental series at the community college level
Knowledge of career interest inventories
Ability to build rapport quickly with low-income first-generation college-going students and build a trusting and supportive relationship
Ability to assist students in completing necessary tasks in a manner which empowers them to advocate for themselves in the future, instead of enabling them
Knowledge and experience with concurrent enrollment, IB and AP options for high school students
Familiarity with communicating via text, Remind, and various forms of social media
Ability to work independently and remain organized in multiple settings, while simultaneously keeping track of the results achieved for each youth
Computer skills in Microsoft Word and Excel with an emphasis on the ability to create spreadsheets and tables in order to capture data in a useful and intelligible manner
Excellent written and oral communication skills
Experience and comfort working with adolescents from diverse backgrounds as well as their families and support networks as it relates to education
Ability to change gearsĀ and work collaboratively with internal staff and external partners
Ability to find and stay informed about beneficial resources for youth throughout the state of Colorado
Demonstrated appreciation of clear and appropriate boundaries with young adults
A passionate and committed belief that youth can rise above seemingly insurmountable obstacles and be successful in post-secondary education
Ability to pass a background check and any other requirement of Zero Dropouts and Greeley-Evans 6
Ability to build the skills of self-advocacy, self-accountability and responsibility necessary for students to develop in order to enter and complete post-secondary programs
It would be preferred if you also have:
Bilingual in Spanish and English
Masters degree in counseling, social work, education, human services, psychology or other related field and 5 years experience with high school students and post-secondary students
Personal experience with low-income first-generation college-going students
Personal experience with AIMs Community College and/or the University of Northern Colorado
Knowledge of wrap around support services available to at-risk youth in the Greeley/Northern Colorado region
IF INTERESTED PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR COVER LETTER, RESUME, AND A LIST OF THREE REFERENCES (W/ AT LEAST TWO SUPERVISORS).
Vacancy expired!