Associate, College and Career Access

DC Prep • Washington, DC

8h • Onsite

About The Position

In order to deliver on DC Prep’s mission and commitment to students and families, the PrepNext team provides holistic support to graduates of DC Prep as they pursue success in high school and college. Beginning in the spring of students’ 8th grade year, PrepNext works with students and families to support a strong transition to 9th grade; continued academic and personal success through high school; and robust college access counseling. PrepNext’s post-secondary team then continues to support students’ success through college. We are successful if our students build the knowledge, skills, and confidence to lead self-sufficient, choice-filled lives. Achieving this goal requires an incredible team, and we need a dynamic Associate of College and Career Access with a wide set of skills and passions to support our team as we evolve as a program.
The Associate will provide holistic support to a caseload of 11th and 12th grade students at high schools across the DC region, working closely with the Associate Director to deliver evidence-based college access interventions and programming. The Associate will think creatively and proactively about how to best reach and impact our students, while leveraging college access experience to ensure that all advising is nuanced, accurate, and effective. Together, the Associate and Associate Director will deepen our students’ understanding of their higher education options and support our students in developing strong, financially feasible, and individualized post-secondary plans to be implemented upon high school graduation.

Requirements

• 2+ years of college access experience, including financial literacy and college application knowledge, as well as an understanding of the high school and post-secondary educational landscape.
• Passion for working with young people and their families, and a willingness to provide deep, nuanced support grounded in an understanding and commitment to uprooting historic and current racial and economic injustices.
• Comfort taking initiative and thinking creatively to provide strong, scaffolded support to students; and the ability to thrive in circumstances involving ambiguity and nuance.
• Strong written and verbal communication with comfort utilizing a variety of communication platforms; interpersonal, analytic, and organization skills to support strong relationships and program delivery.
• Careful attention to detail.
• Ability and willingness to work flexible hours, including evenings for meetings with students and parents.
• While flexible, this role requires the applicant to be based out of DC and to be physically present across the DC area daily, primarily for high school visits.
• A deep belief in DC Prep’s mission and values and in the power of all young people.
• A bachelor's degree.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with DC education landscape, history, and communities preferred

Responsibilities

• Providing intensive, individualized college and career counseling, as well as high school graduation support, to a caseload of approximately 120 seniors and juniors, primarily in person through high school visits and at various locations accessible to families, requiring ability to move easily through the area.
• Support provided to juniors and seniors should result in a strong, financially feasible, and individualized post-secondary plan upon graduation that continues to build their skills and provides a solid foundation for their future career aspirations.
• Building trust and engaging with parents and guardians as partners throughout the college application process.
• Tracking and analyzing caseload data consistently in Salesforce to build weekly action plans that maximize student impact and lead to strong student outcomes.
• Collaborating with school-based partners to ensure students receive effective support as they work toward high school graduation and their post-secondary plan.
• Planning and delivering college and career access group programming grounded in a research-based approach and reflecting current trends, including the facilitation of key workshops for students and families on topics such as financial literacy and FAFSA, college essays, and the broader post-secondary landscape.
• Staying up to date on current college admissions and financial aid processes and trends to accurately coach students through the college application, admissions, and financial aid processes.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level