Summer Melt Counselor Reflection Assignment

As a Summer Melt Counselor, I was responsible for a plethora of task. My first assignment was to reach out to each of Nazarene’s senior students and confirm what their post-graduation plans were, where they were attending college, and assessing what assistance each student needed. I utilized emailing, calling, texting, social media, and reaching out to senior counselors to make contact with the students. Getting in contact with the students was one of the more difficult aspects of the program; many students had changed phone numbers, had situations come up that altered their plans, and were busy working or doing other activities that it was not always easy to keep in contact. In the future it might helpful to schedule a meeting or program towards the end of the school year, with the senior TRIO students from each of the target schools to get a final update on the students plans and contact information, that way we can begin

I kept in contact to see if they were on track with the process by ensuring their FAFSA was complete, they received their acceptance packet, logged on to their college web portal, received their financial aid award letter, completed necessary placement test, registered for orientation, and determined if the needed any additional assistance.

I also sent out weekly reminder emails to students and some parents about important college related topics to ensure that they were prepared for school in the fall. These topics included, registering for orientation, staying in contact with their Summer Melt mentor, financial aid information on housing, immunization records, placement test, tuition, health insurance, and payment options. Initially I sent these emails to only students and did not get much feedback, but after I started sending them to parents also, I received more responses about what they had questions about or what type of assistance they