Happy New Year from The Georgia College Advising Corps!

by Brionna Johnson

The University of Georgia’s College Advising Corps is proud to announce our program’s expansion into the Newton County school system in Covington, GA. With support from the Newton County School District, we are placing three new college advisers at Alcovy High School, Eastside High School, and Newton High School to begin their service in mid-January 2022. GCAC now has 24 advisers serving 20 high schools across the state of Georgia.  

In addition to supporting the training of our three newly added Newton advisers, our team came together at the beginning of this month to share high impact best-practices and strategies to ensure all students and families are being served well. Advisers heard from financial aid experts Mandy Branch from the University of Georgia’s Office of Student Financial Aid, and Brenda Vaughn from the Georgia Student Finance Commission to learn more about the verification and financial aid award processes. Currently, just over 25% of GCAC students have completed the FAFSA and advisers are continuing to focus their attention toward increased FAFSA completion and financial aid literacy for the students and families they serve. 

With many schools beginning the Spring semester in a virtual space, GCAC advisers are proving to be both creative and resilient as they continue to support students in their pursuit of higher education. On top of coordinating regular events and initiatives such as virtual family workshops, classroom visits, and financial aid nights, advisers will also begin planning end of year celebrations to recognize their students’ accomplishments and commemorate their transition to college. All in all, we are looking forward to another semester of service and success!