Merced Union High School District

Note: This is the second of a two-part story that covers an MUHSD News interview with Buhach Colony High counselor Jennifer Sousa about tips for seniors.

 

It feels like time is slipping through the fingers of this year’s seniors. Whether they’re taking a full AP schedule or simply trying to complete their credits, almost every senior can agree that the feeling of time moving too fast is a shared experience. At some point, the question arises: am I doing enough? During such an important and stressful time, it’s hard to take in the big picture and slow down. It might feel like you’re obligated to do as much as you can in such a short period of time, but you can’t be multiple people at once. Take the time you have now, be as productive as you can with it, but also live it to the fullest. There’s one last year to make high school memories – this is the time to make some of the best ones. 

 

To ease some of those worries, one of Buhach Colony High School’s counselors, Jennifer Sousa, gives some insight on resources seniors might not know enough about, advice on how seniors should use their extra time, and wisdom on the inevitable anxiety that arrives with one’s last year of high school. Sousa earned her undergraduate degree from UC San Diego, before moving to Stanislaus State to receive her master’s degree and counseling credential. This is her 19th year at Buhach Colony and she’s known for her skills in ensuring students’ high school experiences go as smoothly as possible, making a huge impact on the school. 

 

We sat down with Sousa and asked her for a few tips for seniors as they approach the end of their high school careers – how they should spend their time, and where they can turn to for support. Some of Sousa’s responses have been edited for space. 

 

Question: How can seniors utilize a not enrolled period toward improving their college application or success after high school? 

Sousa: That's a great time to dedicate to working on college applications. Other ways that they could use that time would be some community service or maybe looking into a career. Sometimes that goes hand in hand with community service: being able to get an idea of a career by volunteering in that field. 

 

Question: For seniors who are interested, how should they begin the journey toward scholarship applications?

Sousa: Your best resource is Going Merry. Our college and scholarship department have partnered with this platform, it’s something you can find on their website. It's basically your one-stop scholarship platform. You can upload those letters of recommendations and things like that, create a profile, so it makes it even easier. There's lists of different scholarships on there, and our scholarship counselor loads the local scholarships there as well, so you can fill out those applications. It can prefill some information for you, and then you've got your documents saved, so you can just add those on. It makes it really quick and easy.

 

Question: Are there any workshops or resources for seniors and their parents regarding the graduation and college application process?

Sousa: Yes, we do some parent nights, tied with our other events…Our college and scholarship counselor will also run application workshops for students during the school day – she brings on reps from CSUs and UCs, and they’re great at troubleshooting and finding those problems that are pretty common. With those workshops, it’s great to have your application mostly done, then they can just check it over before you hit submit so you can feel confident that you got everything you need. We do a parent night for FAFSA (The Free Application for Federal Student Aid) as well, so that's another opportunity for both parents and students to get some help with that always confusing FAFSA application.

 

Question: What resources are available for seniors to get support, whether it's toward graduation or the stress of the school year?

Sousa: On campus, if you're looking at college related stuff, we do have a college and scholarship counselor that is an additional resource, and she's super knowledgeable about those things. With graduation requirements, I’d say your counselor is probably your best bet on that. Now, as far as social, or emotional stress, those types of things – we can help, as your school counselor. However, if it's getting to be a little higher level of need, or something a little more challenging, we do have some clinicians on campus that your counselor can refer you to and help you work some of those issues out.

 

Question: Do you have any words of wisdom for seniors reading this? Outside of academics or graduation, where should their mindset be?

Sousa: Just make sure that you take time to enjoy that senior year too. You've worked all of this time. Maybe you're gonna go on to more schooling. Maybe this is it. But you've been in school since you were four, or five years old, in some cases, so this is the culmination of everything that you've done, everything you’ve accomplished – it’s a celebration too. Of course, pay attention to academics; make sure you're in good shape, make sure you're setting yourself up for the future. But enjoy that time with the people, this might be the last year you see them.

 

Claire Cuenca is a senior at Buhach Colony High School and student intern for the MUHSD Communications Department.