TDHS seeks volunteer mentors for ASPIRE

“We work with high school students to help them develop their plans and goals after graduation … some people are interested in going to a community college or trade school, some people are interested in the military, some students are interested in a in a four-year college or university, so we’re here to help them figure out what they want to do, and then put their plans together in terms of finding the programs that work for them,” said Elaine Powrie, TDHS ASPIRE coordinator.

Mentors are trained to work with students one on one to help assist them in areas such as applying for colleges and universities, navigating the financial aid process such as applying for Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), local grants and scholarships, as well as navigating the student college and career research resources SCOIR and Oregon CIS, which give students the opportunity do things such as research and apply for colleges, take skill assessments and research training and study programs in their areas of interest.

ASPIRE, which is a voluntary program, currently has 86 participating students at TDHS, with 69 of them being seniors. According to Powrie, the program currently has 10 volunteers, but hopes to get at least between 20-25 mentors involved. “I would take as many as I could possibly get,” Powrie laughed.

“I rely on my volunteer mentors. And I also have a really great working relationship with the counseling office, our teachers, our administrators, and we really all work together to get kids into the program.” said Powrie.

Mentors do not need to have experience or have gone to college themselves to volunteer. According to Powrie, she initially spends an hour to an hour and a half with mentors to give them the basic training for the program provided by ASPIRE, which consists of reading material and training videos introducing the basics of topics such as the application and financial aid process, along with personally training them on how to navigate TDHS’s available college and career resources. From there, Powrie holds monthly group meetings going over specific topics.

“It’s not so much trying to teach the volunteers that they should know everything themselves, but it’s where to go and find the information so that they can guide their students,” said Powrie.

To become a mentor, interested volunteers will need to submit an application for the ASPIRE program as well as fill out a volunteer application for the school district, which includes a background check. “Usually, it’s a very quick turnaround from the time somebody applies to getting approval from the district office … and then they’re ready to start," said Powrie. Mentors must be vaccinated to volunteer.

Mentors can volunteer as much or as little time as they are able to. According to Powrie, mentors in the past have volunteered anywhere from an hour a week to an hour a couple times a month, and can take on as many students as they care comfortable with. “Volunteers can take as few as one student to as many as they want. I have a couple of volunteers that have over 10 students,” said Powrie.

Anyone interested in volunteering can reach out to Powrie at 541-506-3449, ext. 2122, or at powriee@nwasco.k12.or.us for more information or on how to apply.

On Oct. 12, ASPIRE will be hosting an event in collaboration with College Goal Oregon, where students and families will be provided with a light dinner and presentation on financial aid, before they will be assisted in applying for FASFA or the Oregon Student Aid Application (ORSAA). The event will take place from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Families are asked to bring the necessary materials to fill out those applications.