What sets LPS Hayward apart? The culture at LPS Hayward centers on the idea that every student — regardless of race or income — is college material. Dr. Claudia Aguilar leads the college counseling program. Her team creates a college-going culture by systematically removing many of the academic, cultural, and financial barriers that typically hold students back. Her team has identified five keys to success at breaking down those barriers, the first is outlined below.
Aguilar often hears a common complaint from freshmen: “You talk about college too much! Can’t we talk about something else?” But by senior year, she notices the feedback changes. “By then they’re telling us, ‘I know we complained, but we really did need to know all that information. I don’t know where I’d be if I hadn’t received it.”
Aguilar knows that for the many first-generation college students that attend LPS, the college application process still feels mysterious. That’s why it is so important to start providing information and resources as early as possible. “You still can’t assume that students are coming in predisposed to anything. Students don’t know what they don’t know,” says Aguilar.
She has seen this be particularly important for undocumented students, who often enter high school believing myths they’ve heard about the process. “For so many of our Dreamers, they sometimes still don’t believe that they’re allowed to attend college or that they can access financial aid under that status,” says Aguilar. “That limits their perspective on what’s possible for them. “
While seniors often consume all the energy and time of counselors at other schools, Aguilar advises that counselors instead take a two-pronged approach: support seniors who need immediate help, and begin building the groundwork of programming starting freshman year with carefully planned programming and supports each year.
- 9th grade: Freshman start their high school career off in a college mindset with orientation on a college campus. They also participate in local college visits throughout the year to start exploring options.
- 10th grade: Sophomores attend a college fair and career day hosted by the school to learn more about options after graduation. They are also required to write and refine their college essays to start defining their college ambitions.
- 11th grade: Juniors attend a “Gear up for College Day,” specifically tailored for students whose notions of college are becoming more concrete. On this day, all other students leave campus to participate in a day of service, leaving the junior class behind for a full day of intensive college preparation: registering for the SAT, SAT II, and ACT, outlining their academic and extracurricular accomplishments on their “brag sheet,” researching college options, course offerings, and their interests in specific majors, and participating in workshops to refine their UC Personal Insight Questions.
- 12th grade: Seniors participate in three full days of guided programming dedicated to completing, reviewing, and submitting their college applications. In the spring, the counseling team works one-on-one with students to help them select their college, apply for financial aid, and enroll.
With intentional supports carefully planned and sequenced over a student’s four-year experience, the LPS team ensures that students are well-ahead of schedule by the time they apply in their senior year.