Counselor's Corner

“Sometimes, you have to look back in order to understand the things that lie ahead.”

― Yvonne Woon

What a busy way to end August. Be sure to take a moment and reflect on the beginning of the school year and how it's going for you and your family. Has there been anything that's been stressing you out that can be changed? What's going well, so you can keep doing that? I feel that sometimes life goes by and we are on autopilot with so much going on in and around our lives that these three-day weekends are a reminder to slow things down and reflect, so we can understand and prepare for what we can in the days to come.

Back to School Night was a blast and I was so happy to see you there.

I am starting on my Freshmen/Senior Fall Meets within the engineering classes to check in with seniors to see how their postsecondary plans are coming along and to see how freshmen are settling in. I have also created a Google Classroom with resources and announcements...ask your students if they have joined yet. The join code is: 4bav26u

41 graduating students still need their community service hours!!!

I am very easy to get ahold of and respond pretty quickly. If you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions, clarification, or concerns.

College Entrance Exams: PSAT (prioritizing 11th graders), SAT (prioritizing 12th), and ACT (prioritizing 12th) will be held here at Tech High in October and have limited space. A sign-up sheet went out, but it's posted in this newsletter as well.

Please continue to reach out to me if any support is needed by any family or student. I am here for you ALL through email, phone, visits, Google Chats, Google Meets whichever is your preference.

See below for friendly reminders: Important Dates, Mental Health Tips/Resources, SRJC information, Scholarship opportunities, and volunteer opportunities.

https://russianriverkeeper.org/events/rrwcu/

This comes from a THS Alumni and I would like to continue to share it as a college preparedness tool. There are 23 CSU's (California State Universities), 9 UC's (University of California), many private schools, a wonderful junior college, as well as tons more nationwide. Here is just a sample of what another student shared with me...copy it and make it your own with the schools of your choice.

College List Template

Below is who is attending from 10 - 11 am for your students to see.

PSAT

**Full**

SAT

Taken on 10/8/2026

Pay and Register by 9/14/2026

ACT

Taken on 10/1/2026

Pay and Register by 9/11/2026

Please find the internship application for Path to Purpose for Sonoma County:
https://ctesonomacounty.org/investments/pathtopurpose-students-parents/

What is it:

The World Affairs Councils of America’s flagship youth education program is a fun, fast-paced team competition for high school students. Academic WorldQuest™ tests players’ knowledge of current international politics, geography, global economics, history, and world cultures. Some 50 World Affairs Councils hold local Academic WorldQuest™ (AWQ) competitions for high school students in their communities. Since 2003, winning teams have traveled to Washington, DC, every April to vie for the national championship.

How do you participate:

Email Mrs. Juarez a team name and 4 team members and you'll be part of it

More info here:

https://worldaffairscouncils.org/what-we-do/academic-worldquest/

Applying to College?

1. Make sure you create accounts for CSU Apply, UC Apply, and/or Common App using your personal emails only!

2. Write essays for Common App as well as 4 out of the 8 PIQ (Personal Insight Questions)...have final drafts done by October 1st

3. List your activities: sports, volunteering, clubs, extracurriculars

4. Fill out brag sheet: https://forms.gle/wGVpjSsPazYuHmmw9 for teachers to write recommendations. Remember UC's and CSU's don't want/need rec letters. Remember to ask the teacher first if they mind writing one for you.

5. Apply for FAFSA on or after October 1st and possibly a CSS on Collegeboard if the college requires it.

Interested in College?

1. Start making a college list

2. Make list of activities with dates and a quick description of each

3. Think about majors you want to study for the career path you want

4. Look for internships and summer camps to apply to before February

1) Play two seasons of sports here at THS. *If it's tennis you must be one of the competitive players* (50% of our students do this)

2) Take TWO PE Classes at the JC, they must be fitness classes, not lecture classes.

3) If you are a Junior or Senior and have done 1 year of PE and are 16 years or older then you will just need to fill out a Google Form to be exempt. *Juniors will fill it out when they register for classes for their Senior year.* (The other 50% do this)

If you take two JC Fitness classes, please send us your final grades (unofficial transcript) from the JC!

Community Service Hours

Turn those in so we aren't running around trying to get them done when it's your senior year and trying to graduate. The sooner you get them done and turned in, the better.

Juniors need 20 total to graduate

Freshmen and Sophomores need 40 total to graduate (average of 10 hours per high school year)

College Courses

Turn in transcripts or snapshots of your final grades for any class you are taking outside of Technology High School and want credit for. Turn them in by the end of the year, please!

Please register within 30 days of turning 18 with the Selective Service System

Did you know?

I am not just an academic counselor, but I also assist with Social Emotional. Maybe the word hasn't spread, but I am here for YOU for ANYTHING! Come talk to me about anything, I will talk you through things, listen, come up with strategies to deal with anxiety, etc, and show you some love!

Take time to laugh. Hang out with a funny friend, watch a comedy or check out cute videos online. Laughter helps reduce anxiety.

Resource: https://www.mhanational.org/31-tips-boost-your-mental-health

September:

2nd - Mini College Fair at School 10 - 11 am and College Fair at Windsor High School 5:30 - 7:30 pm

4th - MIxer 5 - 7 pm

7th - Labor Day Holiday (No School)

9th - Univ of San Francisco Visit at Lunch

10th - Guidance Night 11th/12th Graders and Families 5 - 6 pm

18th - Reed College Visit at Lunch

24th - Guidance Night 9th/10th Graders and Families 5 - 6 pm

28th - Photo retakes for all

October

1st - ACT 8:30 - 1 pm

1. Chick-Fil-A Community Scholarships
   https://learnmore.scholarsapply.org/cfacommunityscholars/
   

2. Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)
   

   From their website:
   

   "The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) is an agreement among WICHE’s 16 member states and territories, through which 160+ participating public colleges and universities provide steep nonresident tuition savings for Western students." Find out more answers to your questions: https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/wue-faq/

3. Collegeboard Scholarship Search https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search

4. https://www.unigo.com/scholarships/high-school-students
   
5. https://www.fastweb.com/college-scholarships/articles/humongous-high-school-scholarships
   
6. https://scholarships360.org/scholarships/top-scholarships-for-high-school-seniors/
7. https://bold.org/scholarships/scholarships-for-high-school-seniors-list/
   
8. https://www.scholarships.com/financial-aid/college-scholarships/scholarship-directory/school-year/high-school-senior
   
9. https://www.scholarships.com/financial-aid/college-scholarships/scholarships-by-state/california-scholarships/
   
10. https://www.bestcolleges.com/financial-aid/online-colleges/
    

1. Redwood Empire Food Bank | https://refb.org/
2. https://cvnl.org/teen-volunteers/

Email: kristina_juarez@crpusd.org
Website: https://ths.crpusd.org/
Location: Technology High School, Bonnie Avenue, Rohnert Park, CA, USA
Phone: 707-792-4825