By Emma Langford and Dana Fillinger
In the heart of the San Marin campus, an unsung hero quietly makes seniors’ goals come true. Vivian Jensen, the College and Career Specialist, helps students plan their college paths after high school, and pushes them towards their career goals. Jensen originally started this job to help students pursue their life goals and lead them towards a successful career. She loves showing students all the different possibilities life has to offer.
“It’s a great job, getting to see the excitement students get from seeing what the future holds for them,” Jensen said.
Jensen sees the pressure seniors go through when trying to choose the right college or program. She knows that during the college application season, it can be hard to balance applications with school and extracurricular activities.
The part of her work that Jensen enjoys the most is assisting seniors who feel overwhelmed by the application process. She shows them ways to not pile emotions on themselves and instead, seek the enjoyment in finding the right college.
“The important thing for most students to do is time management,” Jensen said. “With athletics and working, it can get very overwhelming, but some just have to remember the excitement this preparation carries.”
Jensen helps many students daily, but one specific student that has benefited from Jensen’s advice is senior Ava Free. Free expresses the encouragement Jensen has given her and how she has pointed her towards the right path for college.
“Ms. Jensen helped me understand what to look for in a college and how to set myself up for success,” Free said.
With all the students that come for Jensen’s advice, her day can get busy. Jensen’s day typically consists of visiting AVID classrooms and helping students fill out financial aid forms for scholarships. She also helps students make sure their essays meet all the right requirements.
Jensen shows students what skills, extracurricular involvement, and personal qualities colleges tend to look for. She shares that colleges see a lot about students through the essays that they write.
“Colleges want a strong academic student, but they also want to see students who are open-minded and take risks,” Jensen said. “I think that comes out through the essays that they write.”
