Our college counselor is dedicated to helping students through the hard process of transitioning from high school to college. She helps provide support every step of the way. 

Providing support throughout the process, Mrs. Natalia Vasquez said her primary role as a college counselor is “to help students with college applications and financial aid and to make sure students are A-G qualified.” 

An important aspect of her role is scheduling the college guest speaker invites who come to campus to talk about their school, available programs,  and majors. The main partnership between our school and Merced College is present the most due to college proximity and popularity.  The college provides orientations and presentations for many majors that help offer students an accessible pathway to a higher education. 

Vazquez talks about a big misconception students have about college which is “college isn’t for everyone and they aren’t going to qualify for financial aid.” She explains this as false. Everyone needs to apply for financial aid when applying to colleges even if students think they won’t qualify.

Understanding financial aid can be difficult, but our college counselor hosts workshops or schedules one-on-one meetings to help parents and students understand financial aid better. This helps ensure families have access to the resources they might need. 

When it comes to managing all aspects of applying to college, it’s easy for seniors to get stressed out. Vasquez said it’s important to meet deadlines, but the counselors offer to help students through every step of the way without overwhelming anyone. 

Vazquez said the most important rewarding thing about her job is seeing the hard work students put in to get accepted. 

As of now Vazquez is on maternity leave, but if anyone has any questions, students can stop by the Career Center.