As the class of 2025 steps into the future, some seniors considered the resources that helped them plan their life after high school. Whether students are applying to a four-year university, community college or considering other paths post graduation, many said the resources they received from SCHS and outside organizations made a big difference.
Senior Jocelyn Luna Rodriguez is a part of the AVID program, a college and career readiness system designed to prepare students for college eligibility and success. She believes the program offers ample opportunities and resources for college prep.
“Since I’m in AVID, I’ve been prepping for college for the past four years,” Luna Rodriguez said. “She (AVID teacher Risha Shah) gave us a bunch of spreadsheets to fill out. Even though it felt really annoying to do all of the spreadsheets for the colleges, it really did help out.”
Similarly, senior Richard Lancaster feels that SCHS makes college prepping easier with its various scholarship opportunities and college presentations.
“There was so much help that I didn’t even manage to take advantage of every scholarship and opportunity they gave us,” Lancaster said. “The counselor presentations and their slide decks were great jumping-off points and helped tame a lot of the fear and overwhelming feelings of applying to all these different places.”
While both Lancaster and Luna Rodriguez will be attending four-year universities, others at SCHS are choosing different routes, such as community college. Some feel the college prep resources SCHS provided are more focused on those planning to attend four-year universities. As a result, students heading to community college often rely more on outside resources to help them prepare for what’s ahead.
Senior Nathalie Bohorquez highlighted the importance of searching for other prep resources specific to one’s major and school of choice. Because she is looking to pursue an uncommon field of study as an ASL interpreter, Bohorquez had to turn to out-of-school resources to prepare for college more effectively.
“I’ve definitely done a lot of outside resources for preparing for college. My journey is going to be very specific, so I want to make the connections that I need with my department at my school and learn about my program externally,” Bohorquez said
While Bohorquez looks to outside resources to help her in her college journey, she is grateful for the help SCHS has to offer.
“Santa Clara doesn’t really have the specific resources as far as my program goes, so if all they can help me do is take the classes I need to match A-G or the prerequisites that might be important for the first year of college, then that’s fine,” Bohorquez said. “But as far as specific major prep, I think doing that externally was more helpful for me.”
College and Career Center Technician Anthony Butler has observed that researching schools and majors is one of the most important steps a student can take when prepping for college. He encourages students to explore the resources available on campus but also stresses the significance of taking the time to research different programs that match a student’s interests.
“Hopefully, they do the research before they come to me about the colleges that they want to attend, and then I just help support them in that aspect through college reps or college visits,” Butler said.
While SCHS provides a wide range of opportunities and guidance, it ultimately comes down to what each student is looking for in their college experience. Butler supports students by offering college presentations, scholarship opportunities and answering questions about the college process. He sees his role as helping to open doors and spark curiosity about what students might want to pursue after high school.
“Anything that has to do with connecting the kids to college, I try to do. There’s not a lot, but there’s enough that you can always try,” Butler said.