As high school students, our main goals are to graduate and prepare ourselves for life as adults. For the majority of students, we plan on continuing our educational paths beyond our high school years. As busy as school can get sometimes, it’s hard to keep track of everything. Students are always so caught up in high school pressures, we forget that we need to keep looking ahead in order to be successful in the years that follow. Students struggle with the questions of how and when to be prepared. We all lean towards the idea that we should start preparing when we’re upperclassmen, but that shouldn’t be the case.

Underclassmen may not realize how many opportunities and options that are available to them right now. As a sophomore, I too, am learning all the many opportunities that are readily available. There is a place, right here at LHS, called the College and Career Center (CCC) that is a resource that could help lots of students figure out their way after high school. Our College and Career Counselor, Mrs. Hazlegrove, provides students with various opportunities that could help answer every individual’s personal questions and concerns about their ideal future. I interviewed Mrs. Hazlegrove to go into more detail about the CCC. She offered information that would be beneficial to every student, no matter grade level or future plans.

• What is your job and what does you job entail? – “I am basically a liaison between students and their future plans. I help guide students to their desired futures.”

• Why is it important to prepare for college or for other plans? – “Although some people would like to live with their parents forever, that’s not really something to plan on. You need to have a plan in order to move on and be successful.”

• Is it better to prepare earlier and why? – “Preparing early is important because you get more time to sort everything out and be in a position that you want to be in. I already have a lot of seniors coming to me and thinking they’re in a good place and then come to find out their GPA’s are not where they’re supposed to be or their applications aren’t satisfactory. Students need to start watching their GPA’s as freshman and sophomores because you start to be rushed as juniors and seniors to have a desired GPA. Some seniors’ applications for college are already due in November so it doesn’t give them a lot of time to sort things out as upperclassmen.”

• What do colleges look for in a student? – “Colleges obviously look for good grades and good GPAs but they also look for someone who is involved and someone who is different. Colleges look for someone who stands out, a unique individual. Colleges look for diversity.”

• Has there ever been students, that you knew of, in the past that were in a predicament because of not preparing? – “I knew of some students who didn’t know what they wanted to do or didn’t have a plan and come senior year, they were in a panic because they didn’t have anything done. Students who wait to the very last minute to do something, aren’t able to do anything because it’s too late.”

• What are some resources for underclassmen and how can they receive regular information about scholarships and college/career opportunities? – “Students should definitely come to the CCC for help (Room 2E44), I’m usually always available except during A Lunches. They can also use College Board (if interested in college), it’s a great resource that helps you figure out colleges and majors that would work for you. As far as receiving regular information, you can again come to the CCC or you can always email me personally. I do have a spreadsheet that I put students on so I know when and who to give certain information to.”

No matter what you want to do, you should start preparing for life after high school as soon as you can. The more time you plan, the more options you have, and the better position you will be in when it’s time to graduate. We all need to try our best, in order to be the best we can be. Using our resources that we have now, will help us in the long run. Don’t procrastinate and don’t try to rush around at the last minute, use your time wisely. We only have four years in high school before we are sent off into the real world. Do what you can to be ready when the time comes to move on and remember it’s not about feeling the pressure of needing to be involved in everything or doing everything but the quality of effort that you put into your classes or clubs that you are in. Make all four years of high school count, both in academics and in fun, you will reap the rewards in the future!