A new set of hands will be guiding seniors through the process of preparing for higher education as Christine Kesling takes on the newly created position as the school’s College Readiness Counselor.

Kesling, the current New Tech Academy counselor, will be working with College and Career Counselor Sarah Simmons although her office will be in the main office.

The Eagle’s Eye asked Kesling a few questions about what responsibilities her new role would entail:

The Eagle’s Eye: How does your job differ from the job of Ms. Simmons?

Christine Kesling: Ms. Simmons will continue to be the AMAZING college advisor, while I will be the College Readiness Counselor.  Ms. Simmons will still be helping students prepare for and apply to colleges, apply for scholarships, and complete FAFSA and TAFSA.  I will “live” in both the counseling world and the work done in the CCC, looking at the entire school by graduation year, ensuring each student in every graduating class is preparing for, and ready for, college and career.  My world and that of Ms. Simmons will overlap, and we will be working closely together  to make sure students are graduated ready to move on to post-secondary studies.

EE: How will you handle the transition between counselor and college counselor?

CK: The first task will be to train whoever replaces me, so that there is a seamless transition for the New Tech students.  I’ve already started meeting with Ms. Simmons to identify the tasks that need to be accomplished in this new position, and am making lists of action items and getting supporting events on the calendar.

EE: What do you feel will be the biggest hurdle?

CK: Communication.  I want to ensure that every students is getting all the information they need to make the best academic choices for the post-secondary plans. I plan to make lots of classroom visits and have plenty of open office hours so students can come see me.  Students use a variety of media sources — from the Akins website to Twitter to probably sources I don’t even know yet, and I plan on using as many as I need to so students are always informed.

EE: What do you hope to accomplish?

CK: I would like to see every student leave Akins with something that will help them with their college and career plans, whether it be college credit, certifications, or internships.

EE: What other goals do you want to accomplish with this position?

CK: Of course, I want to accomplish all the responsibilities that I have been tasked with.  But in many ways, my goals are to support student goals. What can I help students with in academic planning and testing so that when they apply to colleges, there are no barriers to acceptance and success?