The process of identifying which colleges are the best fit, completing all the applications and financial aid forms that are required, and meeting all the deadlines and requirements, all while balancing a challenging course load and after school activities is daunting for any teenager. It can be even more challenging to navigate if, like most SEED students, you’re a first-generation college student. Fortunately, before the college application process starts, SEED students get a new addition to their already extensive support network. Advisors from the College Transition and Success team at The SEED Foundation advise our students as they make the important choice of where to spend their next four years, and where they want their education to take them. Once they get into college, our students have continued advising as they navigate the college experience.
Ashley Bargeron, college success manager at The SEED Foundation, is driven by her belief that college is for everyone. She guides students and families from the beginning of their college application process all the way through their college graduation. She leads financial aid sessions, helps with college essays, and supports students with identifying right-fit colleges. “From our first meeting, students I advise know they are destined for college and that I will support them in that journey,” she says. Ashley also leads college matching trainings, and onboards and coaches new college success advisors and college counselors, so that each SEED student and graduate has the same exceptional support through their experience.
As an advisor, Ashley practices continuous support to help her students achieve their college goals. Constant communication with graduates means that together, Ashley and her advisees can come up with solutions when issues arise and address them before they become serious challenges that could hinder their progress towards their college degrees. “I have multiple points of contact with each of my graduates. At each check-in we discuss college academics and finances, two things that greatly affect college persistence.” They work together on managing time, making connections with professors, deciding on classes and majors, and future career options.
“A large part of being successful in college is being a self-advocate – it’s knowing what resources to tap into and when.” Ashley doesn’t just assist students on their journey, she also helps them build their self-confidence so that they can advocate for themselves. For example, instead of calling the financial aid office for a student, Ashley will walk them through the process, and let the student take charge of the follow-through, checking in as they go.
During the pandemic, Ashley and the CTS team continued to support students by calling and texting to check in. In addition to the common challenges of being in college, many students required assistance figuring out housing, transportation, and technology issues that arose when campuses partially or completely shut down. And they were dealing with the implications of the pandemic on their mental and emotional health. It was a lot—but for Ashley, going above and beyond to meet each student where they are is the only way she knows how to do her job.
“Giving back comes naturally to Ashley,” says Vincena Allen, chief growth officer at The SEED Foundation. “Central to every action Ashley takes to guide, encourage, educate, and honor SEED students, graduates and families is her desire to ensure that others are positioned for success.”
Ashley has been a superstar making sure that her advisees and her colleagues have what they need to do their best and to keep moving forward, no matter what the circumstances. She’s a true SEED First Responder!