The Missouri College Advising Corps hires recent graduates to work in high schools across Missouri to empower students to go to college and succeed. Advisers hold a wide variety of degrees from Mizzou and highlight the benefits and opportunities provided from pursuing higher education.
Missouri College Advising Corps hires recent graduates to work in 43 partner high schools across Missouri to empower Missouri students to go to college and succeed. MCAC partner schools have high percentages of first-generation-college, low-income, and underrepresented students at risk of not going to college.
“Without Mizzou, I don’t know where I would be. I was able to attend school and when I graduated I was offered a job by the university as well,” said Tyler Tucker, a Kansas City native who graduated with degrees in political science and sociology in 2016. “Every day, we learn more about what the university has to offer and how we can become better professionals in our field. The Missouri College Advising Corps has provided countless opportunities to network and learn based on where our interests lie.”
Missouri College Advising Corps has 43 partner schools in Missouri. Their mission is to increase the number of low-income, first generation-college and underrepresented students entering and completing higher education.
“Mizzou has been tenacious in their efforts to bring more students of color to the university and they have recently made huge strides in making college more affordable for all students through initiatives such as the Land Grant Compact,” Tucker said.
The recent graduates-turned advisers are able to use their college experiences to showcase the opportunities associated with college in a very relatable way. Stephanie Jerger, a Salem, Missouri native who graduated in 2017 with a degree in human development and family science, was very involved on campus as an undergrad. She participated in Mizzou Alternative Breaks, STRIPES and the Little Sisters of Pearls and Rubies service sorority.
“One of my favorite things about Mizzou was the amount of hands-on, interactive learning that I experienced,” Jerger said. “Through academic internships and service-learning opportunities, I was constantly able to apply what I was learning in the classroom to real-life situations.”
During her last semester at Mizzou, Jerger had an internship at Smithton middle school where she became passionate about working within secondary education.
“It was nothing but a positive experience full of personal and professional growth,” Jerger said.
Many of the high school students the advisers work with are at risk of not going to college due to a variety of barriers. The advisors assist these students navigate the process of applying for admission and financial aid.
“I use skills from my undergraduate degree every day in college advising,” said Mary Kate Kelly, a 2017 journalism graduate from Springfield, Missouri. “I learned to ask the right questions that encourage personal reflection and foster dynamic conversation.”
Backed by the strong foundation of a Mizzou education, the Missouri College Advising Corps has been providing the encouragement and advice that high school students need to navigate the college admissions process and succeed in life.
