Four Next Step advisers with Advise NC spoke to the Rotary Club of Clinton last Tuesday evening at the club’s weekly meeting, sharing their role at high schools helping students plan not only for college, but for whatever next step is right for them.
Advise NC is a North Carolina-based initiative working to have a presence in every county in the state.
The four advisers present last Tuesday included two working in Sampson County: Cristal Ortiz, a graduate of Clinton High School and Duke University who is in her second year advising at Lakewood High School; and Zoe Edwards, an N.C. State University graduate who is in her second year advising at Midway High School.
Also present were two advisers who graduated from Sampson Early College High School: Billy Rameriz, a UNC Greensboro graduate who is in his second year advising at Wallace-Rose Hill High School in Duplin County; and Naomy Guerrero Flores, a Manhattan College graduate who is in her first year advising at Southern Wayne High School in Wayne County.
Ortiz, who graduated from Clinton High in 2021, led the bulk of the presentation with input from each of the other advisers, as well as time for questions from Rotary members at the end.
Ortiz stressed that the reason behind the name change to “Next Step advisers” was to support high school students with a model that caters to all students, not just those interested in college.
“We have a legacy of supporting NC students,” Ortiz shared, stressing Advise NC’s efforts to reach students in every part of North Carolina.
“Our goal is to serve every county in North Carolina. Currently, we serve 56,000 NC students.”
Ortiz and the other Next Step advisers shared what a day in the life looks like for each of them, beginning with their paths to college and what helped them in high school.
“I had teachers who believed in me,” Ortiz shared.
Edwards stressed how learning that “education looks different for everyone” was the biggest help to her in knowing how to move forward in her journey and what she hopes to pass on to each student she works with.
Rameriz shared, “I was confused in high school. I could have used an adviser.”
He went on to say that his involvement in the club “Juntos” in high school, which took a trip to N.C. State’s campus, was the most helpful in finding the direction he wanted to take.
Juntos, which means together in Spanish, has the purpose of helping students graduate from high school and have access to higher education.
Rameriz realized, “Next Step adviser is kind of like Juntos,” which piqued his interest in getting involved with Advise NC.
Flores, who studied economics, shared that she switched her major after her first semester, which made her wonder how she could impact students by better preparing them when it comes to choosing a major.
Flores also received the Simple Gifts Scholarship, which she shared had a significant impact on her own education.
“I tell this to everyone: there is so much I wouldn’t be able to do without that scholarship.”
Flores wants to use her role as a Next Step adviser to help more students find scholarships that will help them succeed as well.
“We don’t work in the schools, we serve the schools,” Ortiz explained, sharing how the school year is broken up into sections based on what seniors need to be preparing for during each period and how the advisers are specifically focused during each of those sections, whether it be college applications, scholarships, military recruitment, trade school or decision day.
Edwards shared that something they do specifically at Midway is a themed week, which includes a college fair at Sampson Community College, time with guidance for each senior, whether that be her or a guidance counselor, and staff sharing how they ended up in their careers, which Edwards stressed as especially important “for students to realize not every path is linear.”
Ortiz and Edwards shared their participation in the October street fair to show “visibility to not only students but the rest of the community as well.”
“Aware and prepared is important to us,” Ortiz stressed, highlighting their role in helping students comprehend deadlines and understand all the components of what they need to succeed.
Alumni panels, with recent graduates who are now in college, were named as another part of what Advise NC prioritizes to show high schoolers a better picture of what college is truly like.
Rameriz stressed that they host resume workshops, go on field trips and represent all interests, with trade school, military and workforce options represented as well.
The Wallace-Rose Hill adviser also highlighted the Dream.US Scholarship, which provides scholarships to undocumented students. Rameriz had a student who was excelling in school but had no means to attend college and had a lot of fear about how he would be able to do so with his undocumented status. When the student found out he received the scholarship, Rameriz stressed, “I could see the light in his eyes.”
Edwards shared the story of a student who worked hard to improve his GPA for the chance to apply to state schools. She shared how she watched him work hard for what he wanted.
“He has his own story,” and we need to advocate for them, the Midway adviser stressed.
Ortiz shared how “they grew even more when they had support,” and that’s why she knows support is so important.
The Lakewood Next Step adviser added that she tells every student, “Don’t tell an opportunity no, let them tell you no.”
It’s tough to get to the students at first, but support makes all the difference, Ortiz emphasized.
“Students don’t know what they don’t know,” Rameriz added, explaining the importance of not assuming and meeting students with an open mind.
“It brings joy to me when students bring something to me saying I want to do this but I don’t know how to get there because I get to say I know how to help,” Flores shared.
The advisers concluded with the message that a Next Step adviser doesn’t turn any student away, as opposed to the college adviser title, which can exclude students interested in trades, the workforce or the military. This name change is part of the hope to serve all North Carolina students, Ortiz explained.