Valley View Expert: 'College and Career Counseling Most Effective When Initiated Early'

Counseling on both college and future careers was available on a walk-in basis for families attending parent-teacher conferences at two Valley View School District 365U middle schools this week.

The new program, launched at A. Vito Martinez Middle School in Romeoville and Humphrey Middle School in Bolingbrook, was designed to help familiarize families with options their children will have when they graduate from high school.

Martinez counselor Anita Hilton and Humphrey counselor Heather Eck, both members of the VVSD Collegeand Career Readiness Task Force, provided information on a variety of topics including saving for college, earning scholarships, understanding financial aid and collegeapplication procedures and improving one’s chances of gaining acceptance to selective colleges. Career exploration resources and tools for examining potential colleges and universities were also made available at Martinez.

“College and Career counseling is most effective when initiated early, is ongoing and when it provides each student with an understanding of the pathway to postsecondary opportunities that will meet his/her aspirations, as well as the confidence and resiliency skills to overcome obstacles and challenges,” said Hilton, a former high school counselor with specialized training in college counseling from the Academy for College Admission Counseling.