AvaWeis

One of the best ways to learn is from people who are older and have gone through similar experiences as you. The staff at Marian can relate to students’ current situation, because they have been in the students’ shoes. While thinking about college, listening to the advice of educators is beneficial for students’ futures.

Mrs. Karen Coolidge, a paraprofessional, had a more non-conventional college path. She attended Northeast Community College in Norfolk, NE. She attended this school for one year and got her clerical diploma due to her love of office work. She grew up in a small town and was unaware of all of the different colleges and opportunities that she could have taken advantage of. 

Her advice for high-school students is to “look into the opportunities that you have, find out what you are gifted in, and run with it.” Coolidge wishes that she had gone into teaching or nursing due to her love of helping others. However, Coolidge did not realize this until she was invited to help with a special education class. There she discovered that she really would have thrived as a teacher. Coolidge said that she wishes she had done more research about all of the doors that were open to her. 

Coolidge also believes that students should ask lots of questions in college to discover what they love and what they are good at and not so good at. Coolidge’s favorite part of her college experience was leaving her small town and making so many new friends. Her least favorite part of college was realizing that she was fully accountable for her work and time management. As a procrastinator, Coolidge had a hard time adjusting to the workload in college.

Mr. Ben Ascher, the college counselor, attended college at UNO and studied education and recreation administration. He is currently working on his Masters at Midland University studying administration and leadership. His advice for seniors is to remember that the college search is theirs. He says, “There are so many people influencing your decision and so many outside factors.” Sometimes it is easy to base the decision off of where your  friends are going or where certain adults want you to go, but you have to find what is best for you. Ascher sees that sometimes students have a fear of considering other options outside of their community, but he wants them to search for the college that is a good fit for them. He says that if you do this, you will not go in the wrong direction.

The part of college that Ascher least liked was realizing when things don’t go to plan, it was all on him. There was no one to hold him accountable anymore. This is the first time you are off on your own learning self-dependency skills and time management.

Ascher’s favorite part of college was finally being able to study something he is passionate about. He loved the level of focus on his own interests. He also loved the social aspect saying that “It pushed me outside of my bubble and forced me to explore and try new things.”