Beyond the Diploma: Guiding Students Toward Meaningful

In this episode, Cecilia Holguin, Family Engagement Manager for San Bernardino County, joins academic counselor Christy Rodriguez and college and career program manager Sergio Flores to explore the many paths available to students after high school. They discuss how parental involvement plays a critical role in helping students navigate uncertainty about their future. From community colleges and trade schools to apprenticeships and dual enrollment opportunities, the conversation highlights practical alternatives to traditional four-year universities. The trio also breaks down the importance of and updates to the financial aid processes like FAFSA (opening October 1) and the value of Career Technical Education (CTE) in helping students align their strengths with real-world opportunities.

Music by DayFox from Pixabay -  Salangseuleoun

Transcript

SPEAKERS

 Cecilia, Sergio,Christina

Cecilia  00:00

Welcome to another episode of parenting with passion. I'm your host. Cecilia Holguin, the Family Engagement Manager for San Bernardino County, superintendent of schools. And today we're talking about something that's on every parent's mind, what comes next after high school? There are almost yearly changes to the financial aid process, and not every student even wants to go to a four year college, and that's okay. There are so many meaningful and successful paths out there, from community college programs to career training and trade schools. Today, I am joined by a knowledgeable academic counselor, MS, Christy Rodriguez, and a college and career program manager, Dr Sergio Flores, who are here to help us explore these alternatives, understand financial aid and most importantly, learn how we as parents can support our students in finding the path that's right for them. So let's dive in and discover what's possible beyond the traditional route. Now we do have an earlier episode of life after high school. However, there have been so many changes last couple of years that I thought that we should maybe include an updated conversation about this and provide more of a focused look on alternative paths for success. So let's start with the heart of it, I want to ask you guys, why is parent involvement so important when it comes to helping students plan for life after high school? 

Christy R.  01:40

So it's super important, because this our children need to know that we are supporting them like we want to know what is going on in in their life. We want to know what they want to do after high school. And there's a lot of times where our children don't know what they want to do after high school, and you and I, and I will tell my students on a regular basis that's okay if you don't know what you want to do after high school, this is the time to explore, and it's from a parent's perspective, I think it's super important that they do let their children know it's okay to explore if you don't know what you want to do right now, Let's talk about it. Let's figure it out. Let's get you in some different programs. So it's important to have those conversations on a regular basis,

Cecilia  02:28

right? And what are some signs that a student might have who may be unsure or anxious about their future, and really, how can parents support them through that?

Christy R.  02:41

So a lot of times they'll shut down. They'll say, I don't want to talk about this. I don't want to hear about it. And so it's that shut down point. And so parents, again, just having that open dialog on a regular basis. And again, not being forceful, not pushing, not being aggressive, but really just having that open conversation of, how can I help you? What can we do? And again, letting them know it's okay if you don't know right now, we're here to figure it out,

Cecilia  03:10

right and sometimes mapping it out for them, I feel like is also helpful. You know, write some things down that you're interested in, because I think that helps the student, when they know something that they like, like, even if it's playing video games. Okay, what part of playing Do you like? Would you like to design games? Would you know, there's just so many different aspects. Finding their interest, I think is a great starting point for them,

Sergio  03:37

if I may add, there's some of our students do walk out with a really good plan that actually has a step, you know, A, B and C, and having the parent involved in that plan is really important. One thing that I found over many, many years is we've been told that a student turns becomes an adult when they turn 18, but their level of maturity varies dramatically. There are many students who the word immature sounds bad, but they're immature. Their maturity level is low. That doesn't mean that they won't mature in the next couple of years, but they do need like, like Chris ms Rodriguez said, the students need to be reminded of that plan, and they are afraid. Sometimes it's like, look, we can, we can set that plan up so that they understand that step one is not a very difficult step to take. Like, just for example, we'll talk more in just a minute about community college, but just enrolling in a community college, taking maybe a course that's not so difficult to take, and just one step at a time, yeah? And then eventually, the students will mature, and they will take the rein on their own. But we have to see them through, and parents have to be very patient. Just because a student graduates doesn't mean they're ready for adult life, right? Yeah, yeah,

Christy R.  04:55

I agree. And then also, just to add on to that, identifying their strengths. Ranks. Helping a student identify where they're strong, looking at their maybe some extracurricular activities that they might do, things of that nature, can also help a parent have that conversation and help a student kind of identify what path they want to go down,

Cecilia  05:17

right, right? And we know College is one path, but it's, it's really not the only path. What are some other great options students and families should know about?

Christy R.  05:27

So there's, there's so many options. You know, in in the past, it used to always be like, Okay, where are you going to college? Where are you going to college? So, you know, now, as an academic counselor, it's, it's important for us to say, what are your plans for after high school? And that could be anything between going to a two year college, so Community College, that could be going to a trade school, that could be going into our military, any of those branches that could also be, I'm going to join the workforce, and, you know, maybe do an apprenticeship program, something of that nature. So it is not always. It does not always have to be college. It doesn't have to always be a four year. And when I talk to students, that's one thing. I ask them, when you hear me say, college, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? And they'll be like, like a four year college, university, and so that's a stigma thing you know, basically as what's the word I'm looking for is basically something that's already been ingrained in their mind, because that's what they've heard so much. And so we have to do as educators, as counselors, we have to do a better job at explaining like, it's not just a four year university, and it's not just you can do any of those things and be, you know, make significant strides in your life. It doesn't have to be just a four year university,

Cecilia  06:53

right? Right? For me, when I graduated high school, I knew I was not college ready. I did not want to go to college. I thought I'm just going to get to work. And that was it. And then what changed everything for me is I took a college career course. They call it CTE career and technical education. I took one class to get me prepared for a job. And it changed everything. Now I have my master's degree, and I loved going to school, so it's another thing too, that students can change their mind. You know, they can head for one path, have a have a plan, and completely derail and go a different path that's successful for them as well. And we have to know that that's okay. It's okay to change your mind. And it can be fun, too. Fun journey

Christy R.  07:37

absolutely, you know, bringing up kind of like your background. When I graduated from high school, I was dead set. I was going to be a fashion designer. I went to college, I went to fit him, got my fashion design degree. After that, that's not what I wanted to do. So it's okay to change, and I think that's important to make sure our students and our children understand that it's okay to change if sometimes we don't even know what we want to do till we're, like, in our 40s, and you know what? And that's okay, as long as you're going down a path trying to identify where you want to be, right?

Cecilia  08:09

 So we've, we've heard a lot about CTE that's been, I think, a big buzz going around. But can you explain a little bit more what is CTE and how it helps students prepare for real world careers.

Sergio  08:24

So CTE literally stands for career technical education, and it has a just like a secondary meaning. A lot of people see equate CTE with hands on type work So, and that's not necessarily the case, but Career, Technical Education, if you think back like parents, right? Depending on the age of the parent or your generation, a lot of CTE programs existed in high schools where you did things like wood shop, electronics, and it's the same kind of a thing today, it's just been rebranded, and it's looking at including the technologies that are available today. So there's a lot of computer science involved. There's like over 20 sectors in Career, Technical Education, depending on where you live, too. For example, if you're in the northern part of California, agriculture is really big, and there's a lot of different careers around agriculture, computer science, transportation industry is big in the Inland Empire. We offer some programs here at the County Office of Education, and are looking at offering some programs that fit the job request, the job industries or the sectors that are available in our geographic area. For example, we're starting a transportation pathway at some of our schools so that students can get a class, a driver's license. Wow, they would, they would qualify for the driving test at the time they turn 18. And so that's an example of a CTE. Program. Many high schools throughout the county have a, for example, public service. So they they're preparing to be a firefighter or a police officer, engineering sectors, healthcare is another really big industry, so that that's CTE, and to connecting that back to the question that was just asked about options and alternatives for college. One big shift that's happening today. It's been in place for a long time, but it's happening. It's more prevalent now, is that you start with a job that you want to do, because not all the jobs require college. Most jobs, many jobs in the CTE environment requires some form of certification. So you just get a certification to get you started. For example, an OSHA certification, safety certifications, a driver's license in this class, in this case, a Class A if you wanted to drive a truck. But then you learn more about logistics, and you get other certifications. And then, going back to that whole maturity thing for students, they eventually turn 30, and they think, how could I grow well, then they go back to college, where college wasn't interesting to them at that maybe 10 years prior, 10 years later, they may decide they want that master's, but now they're just becoming more specialized in what they do. So the important thing is, again, to identify what they're good at, what they're interested in, and look if students are turned off by school. A lot of students, you know that they graduate, but they didn't really like enjoy high school as much. They don't want to go back and get a four year degree where they're taking general they would rather go in get a certification, learn a skill, become interested and skilled in an industry, and then later seek further education, which is a really good path to go that way. Like, like many of us, we get degrees in these areas, and then we choose, we change our minds later. And so it might be better to get your feet wet in an industry that you like, and you think, Hey, I would like to, I would like to move up and look for advancement opportunities so that that that can be and CTE. The world of CTE offers those students just become more and more specialized when they're in CTE programs in high school, it starts happening there. They get better and more specialized, and then they go into the field and become employees or and they continue to do that. So CTE is a very exciting option for many, many students.

Cecilia  12:25

it sounds great, and what are, what is the difference between CTE and trade schools?

Sergio  12:32

Well, trade schools provide the certification again to get into career technical so Career, Technical Education and trade schools are one in the same. There's a very important caveat around trade schools. The most important thing is to check the trade schools background and history to make sure that they really are graduating a lot of students, placing a lot of students that they're they go through an accreditation process, and a lot of the times if I think correct me, if I'm wrong, Mrs. Rodriguez, but a good rule of thumb is, if you can apply for FAFSA and get funding to go to that trade school, it's probably a legitimate trade school. If they're saying, Sorry, you have to take loans, we don't play around with FAFSA and the government, then I would say red flag and be very cautious about going to that school. Trade schools can be great, but they also have a history. Some do. Some of them are no longer, I won't say names, but there were a few schools that were big in the 90s, early, 2000s and no longer exist. And that's because of their for lack of a better term, their shady financial structures, and so they're no longer existent. But just be very careful. It's very important. We'll touch on FAFSA in a minute. That's why it's important for students to apply for FAFSA, even if they're not interested in going to school right away, they'll need it at one point, but, but trade schools and CTE are kind of one of the same, right? Okay, great. Good to know. And how can parents help their students decide if Community College is a right fit for them?

Christy R.  14:13

That's a really good question. So while a student is in high school, they have the opportunity to basically be dually enrolled at a community college. So that means that they can go take a college course, whether it be on the campus, or whether it be an online course, they have the opportunity to take a college course for free, and that's a way that they can just kind of dabble in different areas, see, see what they like. They might take an art course, and they're like, Wow, I, you know, I really like this art thing. I want to keep pursuing this. Or maybe they take a, you know, some type of, like, Animal Science course, wow. I'd like to be, you know, a veterinarian or a vet tech. So you. It allows them to grow simply by taking a dual enrollment course as a high school student. It's a great opportunity. I've even had students graduate with an AA degree by the time they graduated high school. So there's a lot of opportunities there for them, right?

Cecilia  15:17

 And for someone, let's say they looked at it maybe a little late. They're a senior in high school now, right? How can a parent look into a community college at that point?

Christy R.  15:29

So if they're a senior, depending on where they're at in their senior year, if it's the beginning of their senior year, they can still do dual enrollment courses. And again, they can look at any type of course that they have on that campus, if it's their, you know, if it's the second half of their senior year, maybe we have them start in the summer to kind of help them identify what they want to do when that fall term comes around. So again, it's just as a parent kind of maybe guiding them and saying, Hey, you have these opportunities. You know, maybe it's something that you want to look into. You know, have the have parents say, Okay, why don't you go talk to your academic counselor? Maybe they can kind of help guide you in the direction that you want to go. 

Cecilia  16:17

Yeah, that's great. And then I know community colleges, you know, sometimes they're overlooked because people think two year degree can go to four year degree, but they also offer one semester certificate. So I think that's something that parents should be aware of, is that you can also get certificate programs from your community college. So it's a great resource to look into as well.

Sergio  16:37

Yeah, Cecilia, if I can emphasize that, there's a week we at the county office, work with a number of different community colleges up in the Desert Mountain area in San Bernardino, and then also on what we call the West End, where Chaffey College is. Chaffey College is a good example. They have a really cool career space that's really easy to understand. So let's just say you're interested in healthcare. You go into healthcare, and you and you select, for example, nursing. Just to keep it simple, a student wants to be a nurse, and they select them the highest level of nursing, and they'll find that they would need a degree of, probably an associate's degree, and even perhaps transferring to a four year school to go into the highest level of nursing. But that at that again, just thinking about maturity and motivation, the student may decide that's too much fruit. So then they can scale back and look at a one year certification program where they can become a nursing assistant in just a year and that looks more doable. They don't have to take all the general education courses. They don't have to take heavy duty science courses. They can take whatever is required just for that one year. Certification. Still a good job, very high paying job, and you're not paying much in community college. If it's not free, it's really, really inexpensive. And even if that's too much, they can scale back to a one semester. It's not really a certification. It's more like just a certificate, but at least it's a foot in the door, right? And you can be doing kind of pre nursing type things. And then again, the student becomes familiar. It's not so scary anymore. Then they say, You know what, I'm going to step up to that one year certificate. And then before you know it, the student's moving on and getting really deep into the health industry, but it's those small steps. And if you go on to Chafee College's website, you can see that and definitely reach out to us, and we can provide you with help and show you through that. That is, that is a real attractive view right to getting your foot into the door for both parents and students, because it seems it's very doable and inexpensive.

Christy R.  18:43

That's a great option, just to also kind of add to that, so talking about certificates, so and kind of going back to CTE within the high school. So a lot of our high school programs will also what is called Art. They have articulated, or articulation with our surrounding community colleges. So that means that the student in a career pathway in a high school, they're not only earning credits and grades, they're at the high school level, but they could be earning certifications already in high school, and they're already earning college credit from the surrounding community colleges. So there's, it's, it's such a great opportunity for our students,

Cecilia  19:27

 absolutely. So financial aid, that's the one that gets all of our parents with, you know, anxiety. It's just so much to take on and to learn. It's a learning curve. So it can be very confusing. What should parents know about financial aid and the FAFSA process and other ways that could help pay for school or training?

Christy R.  19:47

So the financial aid process, just like as you said, can be quite overwhelming, not only for the parent, but also the student. So one important thing to know is that you. Normally, the FAFSA will open up on October 1, so that's when you can start filling out that application for the following, for the following school year. However, in the past two years, since they've had an update to the FAFSA, or the, yeah, the financial aid process, they have kind of put it off. So I think last year it opened up December 1, and then the year before that, it was, I want to say, sometime in like February. So goodness, hopefully this year we're going to be on track for that October 1, you know, start date. So that's one thing for parents to know, you know, just making sure that they have all the items that they'll need, you know, meaning, like their tax return, they'll need to have social security numbers or, you know, the an email. So one thing that they did when they updated the financial aid or the FAFSA application is they did make it more simplified, where in the past it would take a couple hours to do now, it can go a lot smoother, so maybe an hour. If it's the parent and student working on it, it can maybe take about an hour. However, if the students working with their high school counselor or their academic counselor, that can be cut significantly in half, because academic counselors and the high school counselors. It's a requirement that we help our high school students. So that's one, one of the, you know, Ed Code laws that have that's gone into it's basically a process now that we have to follow. So either we have to help them complete the FAFSA or they have to do an opt out form. And, you know, a lot of parents are like, Oh, I don't want to do the fast, but I'm not going to qualify for anything. But it's really important that they still complete it, because they could a student could still earn some scholarships from simply that it also, and that could be scholarships from outside of the college, community college, trade school, or it could be in house, scholarships, grants, all of that good stuff. So even though they're they may not want to fill it out. It's really important that they do, because there's, there's opportunities that are based off of it. 

Cecilia  22:16

That's great. So parents can, can call the academic counselor or have their student go in and see the counselor to get that type of assistance.

Christy R.  22:26

Absolutely, yep, that's great. And so, you know, this year again, we're hoping to start in October. That's our plan. Is to start that way. We can make sure all seniors are covered, and then, you know, a lot of times, we'll work with the seniors, the student first, and then we can bring the parent in and help the parent do their end, or we can meet with them, you know, as a team, and complete it and right? And, you know, one sitting. So it just depends on what the parent wants. I know it can be scary, giving your financial information, giving your social security number, date of birth, all of that stuff, but I want parents to know that we're there to help, and that information goes nowhere else, and that's why, you know we if we're working as a whole. So student, parent, academic counselor, a lot of times, the parent can enter in their social security number or their student Social Security that way, we don't as the academic counselor that way we don't have to have that really private information. Excuse me, that private information. We don't want to hold that so, so it's it is important that you know that we work together as a team. Last year, I did do one on Zoom. So we can hold, we can hold meetings in so many ways. So I don't want parents to think that has to be strictly in person, right? Because they work exactly, yeah. So

Cecilia  23:52

that's great. That's good to know. And I heard you mentioned scholarships, scholarships and grants. We know are free money, but are they available for students who are not going to a four year college? Absolutely

Christy R.  24:04

yes. So there, you know, there are grants that are specific for community colleges based off the parents income, also based off the student's GPA scholarships, a lot of scholarships, it depends on what scholarship you're looking into. So like, we have one here for San Bernardino county superintendents of schools, which is the gains and drug task force scholarship. So that can be used for community college, that can be used if you're going to a four year that can be used for, you know, trade schools. So it's not just a four year college, that's great. And what are some local programs, apprenticeships or job training opportunities that can help a student go straight into the workforce, if that's what they decide to do? What's available out there in San Bernardino County? So we have there's the I, B, E, W. Two electricians. It's an apprenticeship program, so basically, the student, they'll apply for it. If they get accepted. They're not only learning, but they're also getting paid. And so and they're and they're in a union, which is, which is pretty cool, to be that young, be in a union. Have that safety net? Yes, there's also the carpenters union. Same thing, they're not only learning, but they're also getting paid, and they're a part of the Union. So it's, those are two more. So in the construction field, we also have some within the cosmetology area, you know, they're going out into the barber shops. You know, salons learning, basically doing an apprenticeship program.

Sergio  25:47

And we can our county schools here have that information. Most high schools in the county do as well. But those are those programs that Miss Rodriguez mentioned are local in Ontario, right here in downtown San Bernardino. We also have Loma Linda University. They have a couple of different campuses now. They have their school of medicine, which is for students entering into that requires pretty high degree there. But we also have for again, for other positions within the health industry, like nursing, you know, radiology technician type, which are great, great jobs. They have programs. Loma linda has some really good programs. Some of them are here in Downtown Riverside as well. I'm sorry, downtown San Bernardino, we have, there's a few facilities here that, honestly, I was not aware of, and I entered into those facilities a couple of years ago. And I was floored. As an educator, I thought, how could I not know about this? So we now have a partnership with them, and there's a lot of low cost, big waiting lists, though, so you have to get your name in there as soon as possible. Because most students and parents, when they, when they when they visit these facilities, they realize the level of opportunity. They put their names down right away. So there's, there's that health industry is continuing to grow, yeah, and construction industry as well. Those are a couple of different examples. There's a lot of computer science, although that industry has changed a lot, but there's still a lot of opportunities for students to enter into entry level, even in the computer field, through your science field. But yeah, and those are all like you said, just almost ready to work train as you you're training and learning, and in some cases, employed as well, like Miss Rodriguez.

Cecilia  27:35

So how can parents help their child really explore their interests and strengths, even if they don't really follow a traditional academic route.

Christy R.  27:43

So you kind of touched on that so on, you know, in the intro there. So their strengths, look at their strengths. Talk to them about what, like kind of what they can do with their strengths. 

Cecilia  27:56

Well, what about what when a student doesn't recognize their own strengths? I know, even with my daughter, it was I told her the same thing, what are your What are you really good at? What are you passionate about? And she just still wasn't sure. So what do we do in those cases where the students not quite sure what their strengths are yet? 

Christy R.  28:11

So what they can do, the parent can say like, okay, let's have you talk to your academic counselor, because we can do things such as, like a career interest inventory. It just helps students answer questions like, do you like building kitchen cabinets, you know? And so that's one of the first questions that they'll ask in an interest, you know, career interest, inventory. But it helps us identify kind of like where, where they're at. Because maybe they're like, No, I don't want to build kitchen cabinets, but maybe I like to paint them and sell them exactly, or sell them so, you know, maybe I want to be like an artist. Maybe, you know, maybe I want to work in in cells. So it just kind of helps students identify which direction they want to go

Sergio  28:55

 And the other thing too is our high schools again, our county schools here, we have opportunities for students to explore. So that's the other thing too, is that they need to explore. Sometimes you ask students, hey, just name four or five careers. And they really can't name more than just two or three because they just haven't really thought about it. But what we find is when we take students, whether it be to our fire and our fire programs where we where we expose students to background and exposure to careers related to fire, firefighting, the public sector, just whatever, whatever it is going to health care facilities where they can learn about all the jobs that are available. Because it's not just doctors and nurses. There's so much more in the construction industry and the computer science industry, you don't have to learn. You have to know how to code to get into the computer science industry. There's other so I think it's just the idea is for students to explore, because a lot of the times they just, they don't know what's out there, right? So if your child is just ask them what's available. About your score, you're going to field trips. Why not? What's available? Have the parent contact the counselor and say, Hey, is there anything coming up, like a college tour or a field trip to somewhere where my students can kind of open their eyes and expand on their horizons? And I think that a lot of students just don't. They pass up all these opportunities. There's always opportunities they don't know. So I think as a parent, just making sure your child is not just going to school, coming back home every day, especially when they're in their junior or senior year, they really should start thinking about applying to transition after high school,

Cecilia  30:37

right? And I know this process can be so overwhelming for our students, and really for our parents too, right? Our parents want to help and guide our students to do the path that's right for them, that's right fit for them. So what's one piece of advice you could give a parent who's maybe unsure on how to guide their child's future, because it's a lot of pressure on those parents as well.

Christy R.  31:00

That's a great question. So, you know, as we're getting to the end of a student's high school career, you know things, you know, sometimes parents will maybe get a lot more antsy. Students will get a little more a little more antsy because they're just not sure what direction they're going to go, or the parents not sure what direction they're going to go. But again, having that open dialog, having the that conversation, basically introducing them to different things out in our world. Maybe a parent works in construction. Maybe take your child to where, where you're working in the construction field. So that way they're kind of, I, you know, like, hey, this might be an area I want to work in, maybe basically, kind of bring your child to work day, you know. So that way they're not that way, they're exposed to more opportunities. But the biggest thing I would say, just have that open dialog, and the earlier a parent starts better off. So like, let's say, you know, we have some elementary parents listening to us right now. They could simply ask their student, okay, how was your day at school? And then say, Okay, tell me one thing that you learned at school today. And a lot of times that students get a focus on something that really, really interests them. And so maybe as the years go along that will help the parent and student have that conversation of what direction, what path they want to go down.

Cecilia  32:27

And I think too for parents, it's helpful to do research on our own, maybe before we start the conversation with our students, just so we have some understanding about some of the fields that we think that they might be interested in, or know how to guide them, and knowing our resources and our school districts have such great resources, so staying connected with our academic counselors, with the teachers, with the principals, those are all great things to do for parents, to help guide because it really does. It takes a village. I feel like I say that all the time, but it really does. And so we should be working in partnership with our schools to ensure that we're doing the best possible supports for our students

Sergio  33:08

 Yeah, and, and I would say that, in addition to everything that's been said, really give community colleges a try. And, and it's like a hidden gem. It always has been, really community colleges and, and there's one. I don't know how many community colleges are in California, but my guess there's probably, definitely over 50. There's many of them. And here in San Bernardino County, there's, there's a handful of them. But if a student's working hard to go to a four year school, that's usually works out pretty well. You have to have a high GPA, you have to meet A through G requirements, you have to apply get accepted, and there's a lot of support for students. If you're not going that route, just get on their website and look at all the certification programs that exist and make a commitment to say, if I don't get a job by this time, if I still don't know what I'm doing and I'm a year out of high school, it's not too late. It's look at one of those certifications and give it a try, that even if you pay for the course outright, it's not very expensive, and you can still do FAFSA after your senior year. You can do FAFSA later. So not everybody gets it together in high school. In fact, most people make their minds up later in life. So if, if, if a student still has no idea what they want to do and they've graduated from high school, definitely give those community colleges a shot. There's a lot of opportunity there. 

Cecilia  34:31

And with today's technology, I think also we have the support of like, chat GPT, right? Asking, chat GPT, hey, you know, I'm interested in this. These are my hobbies. Maybe I don't want to go to a four year college. What are my options? Or I do want to go to a four year college, what are my options? 

Sergio  34:49

And it's called, it's called, like, generative AI. For a reason, you have a conversation with AI, it's kind of freaky the way it will, but it's you just did I like this? I graduated from high. School I live in this area, that way it can tell you in your geographic area based on all the information you told me, here's all the different opportunities and I think that's really good advice to use AI to help you make that decision.

Cecilia  35:15

Right. Resources are out there, 

Sergio  35:17

yeah. 

Christy R.  35:17

and  just to add just a little bit as to that as well. So another important thing would be to have parents encourage their high school senior whether they're like, No, I'm not going to go to a community college. You know, regardless, at least apply before the end of their senior year, because they have the help and support from their academic counselor to help them apply, and so whether they're going to go or not, at least we already know that they applied, and then we can kind of help them identify what type of classes they may want to take. They don't have to go, but at least they applied already,

Sergio  35:54

and when they apply to community college, unlike a four year school where you're waiting to see if you're accepted, if you apply, and you put in all the information, takes about 30 minutes, you will get a response, usually within 24 to 48 hours with your student ID, and then you're ready to go. I mean, I'm telling you community colleges, if you're unsure of what you want to do, it can be a lifesaver. I wish more students would look into it.

Cecilia  36:18

That's a wrap on today's episode of parenting with passion. I hope this conversation gave you not just information but inspiration, because every step you take, no matter how small, is a step towards growth, connection and hope, a heartfelt thank you today for my guests for sharing such valuable insights with us today. If today's episode resonated with you. Please share it with another parent who might need this encouragement, and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode and remember parents you are doing better than you think. You are never, ever alone on this journey until next time. Keep parenting with purpose, keep parenting with love and always. Keep parenting with passion, see you next time you.