Student Success Update

Dear School Communities,

Welcome to the first edition of the Student Success Update. You might notice things look a little different around here! While my title has expanded, my core mission remains exactly the same: partnering with you to clear the path for our students' next big steps. Moving forward, this weekly update will serve as your quick, high-energy resource hub. For Counselors and Educators: Quick tools, deadline reminders, and actionable resources you can share directly with your students. For Administrators: Big-picture updates, tracking metrics, and strategic insights to keep your campus thriving. Thank you for your continued dedication, leadership, and collaboration.

Chris Ferrell

College & Career Student Success Counselor & Consultant

Please take a moment to review the county - wide School Counselor Newsletter, which includes helpful updates, resources, and professional learning opportunities.

Stacia Weeks

Career Readiness and Counselor Consultant

While underclassmen were taking practice SAT tests, seniors spent their morning preparing for the future by engaging in dynamic college and career breakout sessions alongside an interactive fair. IF you would like to redefine your career fair with more impact, register for this FREE PD session.

Use these resources to highlight postsecondary opportunities to your students. Resources include student flyers for college application fee waivers.

Hi from uAspire! We hope your summer has been productive and fulfilling as we gear up for the new school year and head toward the October 1 release of the 2027-28 FAFSA.

Whether you are a counselor guiding students, a student or family member navigating college costs, an advocate pushing for systemic change, or a supporter fueling our mission, this newsletter includes free events and resources, policy insights, and updates relevant to all of our audiences. We encourage you to explore the sections below and share these free tools across your networks as you see fit.

Consider registering for our Professional Development opportunities. Space is limited for our November 3 Wayne County Counselor full day conference. Sign up today!

We are excited to announce dates for the 2026-27 Mini Webinar Training Series for High School Counselors this school year! Each 45-minute mini Webinar will focus on a specific training topic. These topics include:

• MI Student Aid Programs and Resources Updates
• MiSSG High School Counselor Portal Walkthrough (both beginner user and advanced user sessions)
• FAFSA Data in MiSSG Plus Helpful Resources
• November Scholarship Showcase
• Programs and Resources for Students from Special Populations
• Tuition Incentive Program (TIP) Overview and Best Practices

We encourage high school counselors to register for multiple mini webinar trainings!

Note: SCECH credit will be offered for these sessions.

Fall Edition of the Grad's Guide is here! Share with any young adult or recent high school graduate who can find benefit!

Michigan is preparing to launch the new Youth Employment Permit Portal (YEPP), a centralized online system that will modernize the state’s youth employment permit process and make it more convenient and accessible for minors, families and employers.

Beginning Oct. 2, 2026, employers and minors will use YEPP to complete the youth employment permit process through one statewide system. Local school districts and nonpublic schools will no longer issue youth employment permits.

The 2026 Michigan’s Hot 50 Job Outlook highlights the top high-demand, high-wage careers through 2034. The career information includes job titles, projected annual openings, hourly wage range, job growth information, and the education or training level needed.

The 2026 Michigan’s Career Outlook publication includes the highest-demand jobs based on education level and features the top jobs in science, technology, engineering, and math careers.

Consider adding RESA's Financial Aid and Scholarships section to your school's website or newsletter.

Students and families interested in learning about financial aid basics are encouraged to register for a virtual presentation provided by the Student Aid and Access outreach team.

Participants will be able to gather information on the following financial aid topics:

• FAFSA application information
• Federal financial aid programs
• State financial aid programs
• Scholarship searching resources

Sessions are free and open to the public. We hope you will join us!

Share this 4 minute video with your students on the growing need for Marine and Boating Technicians.