Advising Corps invests in secondary education

Fewer than half of low-income students accepted into post-secondary institutions enroll, and fewer than one in 12 of them graduate — but the Carolina College Advising Corps aims to change those statistics.

The Corps is an organization that helps low-income, first-generation and underrepresented students go on to finish a secondary education.

Due to economic and social factors, first-generation college students enroll in college at a drastically lower rate than their peers, causing economic problems for North Carolina. Currently, 40 percent of North Carolina workers have a two- or four-year college degree, but by 2018, 59 percent of North Carolina jobs will require a college degree.

“Investing in a well-educated workforce may be the single best thing we can do to help North Carolina and the United States in a global economy,” AT&T North Carolina President Venessa Harrison said.

The Corps’ kickoff celebration for this year’s program took place Wednesday at Top of the Hill.

Steve Farmer, vice provost for enrollment and undergraduate admissions, said the Corps matches high school upperclassmen with recent UNC grads who are close in age and circumstance.

There are 45 Corps advisers serving 64 high schools in 24 counties across North Carolina. In 2014-15, the Corps helped more than 6,000 students apply to 16,142 colleges and earn over $109 million in scholarships and federal aid.

Yolanda Keith, program director for the Corps, said 11,000 high school seniors in the state have access to the program this year — 1,000 more than in 2014-15. Statewide, 43,000 high school students have access to an adviser.

As a public service initiative, the Corps is not state-funded and relies on donations. AT&T North Carolina is involved in a partnership with the Corps.

Kiyah McDermid graduated from UNC in May and spent her summer training to be an adviser for the Corps. She has been advising at James B. Dudley High School in Greensboro since August.

“Part of my story was my own background,” McDermid said. “I didn’t have the best counselors. I had to navigate the college application process by myself.”

McDermid said that while advisers get paid for their work, they tend to see their jobs as service positions.

“I had invested way too much in my students (to leave them),” said Kiara Aranda, an adviser at Garinger High School in Charlotte.

“I couldn’t imagine not going back.”

A first-generation college student, Aranda is passionate about getting students greater access to higher education.

“Advising really helps you see a difference,” Aranda said. “This is the best thing I could have ever done.”

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