College Access Coach

College Forward seeks AmeriCorps*Texas members to serve as College Access Coaches at our Austin, Texas site from August 16, 2021 – June 17, 2022. Applicants must possess a sincere interest in empowering youth and a passion for higher education. Applicants should also possess the ability to carefully and strategically plan individual work goals in order to meet organizational objectives in a timely manner; ability to closely monitor progress towards these goals and take appropriate remedial action when necessary. Successful applicants are leaders with strong organizational and interpersonal skills.

College Access Coaches serve high school juniors and seniors by providing support and guidance through the college application process. These coaches work with students one on one and within a classroom environment to ensure students are on track towards accomplishing their academic goals. College Access Coaches lead college prep classes, assist students with submitting financial aid and scholarship applications, and attend college campus visits.

Members must serve a minimum of 1200 hours of service (an average of 32 hours/week) and complete their full contractual term of 10 months in order to qualify for the Eli Segal AmeriCorps Education Award.

AmeriCorps Benefits:

• Living Stipend
• Eli Segal Education Award
• Free medical and low-cost dental and vision insurance
• Monthly mileage and cell phone use reimbursements
• Opportunity to forbear qualified student loans during service

NOTE: Mandatory AmeriCorps training for this position will start on August 16, 2021, for pre-service orientation unless otherwise specified. This position will have recurring access to vulnerable populations. Members must wear the AmeriCorps logo, visibly, daily.

In the event of a local, state, or federal disaster declaration, AmeriCorps members may be asked on a volunteer basis or be required by OneStar to activate to assist in disaster response and recovery activities within their communities.  This may involve virtual service opportunities or in-person service opportunities.  This may include service opportunities outside of the member’s standard service hours or in place of their standard service duties.  In the event of a large-scale, high needs local, state, or federal disaster, AmeriCorps members may voluntarily or be required by OneStar to deploy to an area outside of their service area to assist in disaster response and recovery activities.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Teach after-school, college preparatory classes for 40 or more underserved high school students at local high school campus(es)
• Ensure that students consistently receive the highest quality of services, that school partner needs are met, and that each student makes satisfactory progress toward program goals
• Gain and maintain knowledge of all students’ interests, needs, and backgrounds
• Perform follow-up parent/student phone calls and/or home visits as required
• Collect, organize, and maintain student and program documents
• Plan and organize the student recruitment process for any schools partnered with College Forward
• Update the database and spreadsheet files on a weekly basis; maintain student records and statistics
• Provide mid-year and end of year-end progress reports for all students
• Conduct research and understand higher education norms and trend for the state of Texas as necessary pertaining to students’ college and financial aid needs and interests
• Grade and provide feedback on classroom assignments, including ACT/SAT diagnostic tests
• Chaperone students on events such as college visits and the Summer Tour of Colleges
• Coordinate with the College Success Team to provide college transition services to graduating high school seniors
• Submit weekly timesheets, periodic reports (i.e. monthly reports, self-evaluations, and supervisor evaluations), and other service-related documentation as required
• Attend required programmatic and community service events

ANCILLARY FUNCTIONS:

• Serve on project teams on the following subjects, including but not limited to: program events, student communications, financial aid and literacy, AmeriCorps member recruitment, parent services, curriculum revision, and community service activities
• Adhere to program and organizational calendars for on-time task assignment and completion
• Coordinate with the supervisor to order, maintain, and inventory program supplies.
• Maintain excellent working relationships with supervisors, fellow AmeriCorps members, school district and college personnel, students and families, volunteers, donors, and the greater community

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

College Forward is a dynamic, progressive and youth-focused working environment. The noise level in the work environment can be moderate to loud. Responsibilities may frequently require an adjusted work schedule and/or evening/weekend hours in order to meet deadlines or satisfy program requirements.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

To perform this position successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. College Access Coaches must also submit to and pass a comprehensive criminal background check before a final placement offer can be made, and annually thereafter.

• EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE: This position requires at least a baccalaureate degree from an accredited, not-for profit, academically-recognized four-year college or university.
• PHYSICAL DEMANDS: While performing the duties of this position, the member is regularly required to communicate with and present information to others and access information using a computer for several hours at a time. Members must have mobility throughout the office and must frequently drive or ride up to 30 miles to high school campuses and other service locations to monitor service delivery. Members may infrequently be required to drive or ride distances of up to 250 miles, with occasional air travel necessary.
• EMOTIONAL DEMANDS: The member must be emotionally mature and be able to handle difficult and complex team member and student situations. Candidates must demonstrate an ability to solve practical problems and deal with frequently changing variables. The member must demonstrate strong interpersonal and coaching skills.
• INTELLECTUAL DEMANDS: Excellent writing and communication skills are essential; English/Spanish bilingualism is strongly preferred. Candidates must be able to read, analyze, and interpret general educational and business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, and governmental regulations. They must exhibit an ability to professionally write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. They must be able to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form. They must be able to effectively present information and respond to questions from the general public, clients, students, partners, and managers. Candidates must demonstrate the ability to understand and apply the standard, high school-level mathematical concepts for the purposes of administering the program’s ACT and SAT test-preparation component and compiling program statistics.