According to the organization’s website, “STARS recognizes that students from rural and small-town, first-generation, or low-income backgrounds can experience obstacles when approaching the college application process. With these challenges in mind, Trott Family Philanthropies will invest more than $150 million in programs that recruit and support rural students over the next ten years.”
Homer High School Counselor Paul Story, heard about the program from a current high school senior and he thought it could potentially be useful for families of upcoming seniors. The program is designed for students in grades 8-11 to help them prepare for college applications. He described STARS as a relatively new non-profit organization that typically works with rural communities in the lower 48 to help them navigate the college admissions and financial aid process, which can be really complicated, especially if you're applying to selective colleges.
“And even though, we have students pursuing all sorts of post secondary options, my thought was even if 15 families from next year's Senior Class sign up for this and get kind of more individualized service than we can reasonably offer as a counseling department at Homer high school, just being one and a half people, that could be worth it. They might be able to find a great deal and save a bunch of money and also maybe free us up for other things, like getting the Job Fair back or something like that,” Story said.
Marjie Betley, executive director and general coordinator for the organization will be visiting Homer High School with an introductory presentation for students and families on Monday April 27th starting at 6 PM at the Mariner Theater.
“She's going to talk to all interested juniors during Advisory, and then she's going to be doing something like an activity. She calling it like a college case study with the honor sophomore English class,” Story said.
Other features that STARS offers, free of cost, includes:
- 1:1 on-demand virtual college advising for 12th grade students
- Informational webinars and on-site events for students and families
- College access and financial aid advice for 8th – 12th grade students
- Support when applying for local, state, and national awards and scholarships
- Resources from STARS college partners and college access organizations
Story notes in an email to Homer High School families “We are keenly aware, and fully support, that many HHS students don’t choose to pursue a college degree after graduation. But for those that do, we expect STARS will provide the dedicated time, attention, and level of expertise to better assist families navigating the often complicated admissions and financial aid processes.”
Reporting from Homer, this is Emilie Springer.
