PASADENA, Texas – As high school students in the San Jacinto College service district head back to school this fall, they may see a new face in their counseling office – that of a San Jacinto College counselor. The 11 new counselors are part of a new shared counselor program introduced in the schools this year.

San Jacinto College, in partnership with La Porte, Pasadena, Clear Creek, Channelview, Galena Park and Sheldon Independent School Districts, have placed 11 counselors in local high schools as part of the shared counselor program.

The shared counselor program was an idea of Dr. Ruede Wheeler, a longtime San Jacinto College Board of Trustees member. He brought the concept to the College’s administration, which in turn approved the initiative. The group met with the leaders at La Porte High School to begin implementation of the program there. As of the Fall 2008 semester, all 11 high schools in the San Jacinto College service district have a shared counselor on staff.

Shared counselors are the direct connection between the high schools and San Jacinto College. They benefit students by offering answers from the inside – from a college’s perspective. San Jacinto College shared counselors also work with the local community and employers to help those students who may be more interested in a technical degree or vocational career. In addition, the counselors help students with educational planning, career counseling and testing, as well as conduct workshops on study skills, time management and self-esteem.

Dr. Brook Zemel, vice president of student development for San Jacinto College, led the effort to hire and place all 11 shared counselors. “We found that the latest Texas Co-Board data indicated that about 43 percent of local high school graduates did not enroll at a college or university the following Fall semester,” said Zemel. “Without attending a college to attain an academic or technical degree or certificate, these young people face a challenging future. Our administration recognized this and funded the program to provide a future for these individuals.”

The program’s first shared counselor at La Porte High School was Veronica McKissic. McKissic sees anywhere from 20 to 80 students a day, and often does classroom presentations about attending college, including what to expect in college. She prefers to speak to students early about attending college to get them thinking about what they should be doing in high school to enable them to attend college. “Students have many questions ranging from ‘How do I pay for college?’ to ‘Do I really need a degree?’ I try to help them sort everything out,” noted McKissic.

Another benefit of placing San Jacinto College counselors on high school campuses is the ability to put students in direct contact with specific programs. Students don’t have to go to a San Jacinto College campus to initially speak with a counselor; they can start in their own home school. “We’re right here in their own backyard. It’s definitely an advantage for students,” added McKissic.

The program at San Jacinto College is similar to what many colleges locally are doing to encourage high school students to enroll at a college or university following graduation. “I became a counselor because I wanted to see students who thought they couldn’t go to college, actually graduate (from high school) and attend college,” said McKissic. “That’s exactly what I’m seeing as part of this shared counselor program.”

For more information about San Jacinto College, please call 281-998-6150, or visit http://www.sanjac.edu/.