College applications get seniors one step closer to post-graduation plans
Posted on: 10/22/24
NC Countdown to College (C2C) is a year-long initiative to help high school seniors learn about three college enrollment steps: residency, financial aid and college applications. Many colleges and universities participate in C2C by waiving application fees during College Application Week, Oct. 21-27.
Several seniors across the district are taking advantage of the waived fees and submitting their applications. Four students below share a little about their experiences with the application process, what they’re looking for in a school and the support they’ve received.
Chris Abreu, West Charlotte High School
As Chris Abreu applies to different schools, he’s considering the school’s culture, Student Government Association, environment, community and scholarships. His top choice is the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as he was nominated for a Morehead-Cain scholarship, but he’s also interested in Morehouse College, North Carolina Central University and Winston-Salem State University.
“My teachers and counselors have been a huge help in making sure I stay on track as well as keeping me grounded,” said Abreu. “My counselor and school’s college advisor have also been a huge help in teaching me about college. As a first generation college student, there is so much that I didn’t know about the application process, and they’ve been a huge help in ensuring that I get the information that I need.”
Ailen De Bonis, Ardrey Kell High School
Ailen De Bonis’ ideal school is one where she can get involved. De Bonis is passionate about studying psychology and political science, and wants to be able to explore both further in college and beyond.
“Being an immigrant student has made this process more difficult at times, especially because my parents did not go through it in America,” said De Bonis. “Having people at my school that I know I can go and ask questions when needed has been great during application season. Being a student advisor (to the Board of Education) has helped me during this application process because it has helped me better understand what my passions are and be able to better understand how I hope to contribute to a college environment.”
Chase Howard, Palisades High School
Family is a huge factor in everything Chase Howard does, including the colleges he’s applying to. His top five schools are Howard University, Morehouse College, Florida A&M University, the University of Southern California and Duke University. Howard said he doesn’t just want to attend college, but “wants to join a huge family of amazing, kind and intelligent people who use their gifts to make the world a little bit better in everything they do. I want to find that family wherever I go.”
“(College applications) haven't been perfect, but I have been blessed with an amazing support system around me to knock it out,” said Howard. “Family is a huge factor to me in everything I do, and every time I visit Historically Black Colleges and Universities, I have felt a warm hug — students popping into my tour to encourage me to incredibly kind tour guides who I’m still in contact with to this day, supporting me in my application process.”
Caitlyn Smith, Harper Middle College High School
Caitlyn Smith is currently applying to several schools including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Wake Forest University, Duke University and North Carolina State University. Smith, who began her studies at Waddell Language Academy (now the South Academy of International Languages), is fluent in Japanese.
“The most important factors I considered when looking at various colleges and universities were the language and global studies majors offered,” said Smith. “I have grown to love learning languages and want to go to a school that also values this diversity by way of language studies. Additionally, it’s important to me that the college or university has study-abroad opportunities because I want to partake in ethnographic research while in college and beyond. This is a very big part of my journey, and I want to continue to grow. I am excited to see where I will end up and the paths that I will take. I look forward to learning more about myself at whichever school I attend.”