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Dressed for game day and taking a break to laugh with talks to students Trista Raines and Desiree Moan on Friday, South Umpqua High School's career and college counselor Kristy Westbrooks, left, is the schools newest college student. While helping the 110 seniors make plans and fill out applications, Westbrooks is attending college again to earn her bachelors, with plans to earn a master's in teaching by 2012.
TRI CITY — A constant stream of students move in and out South Umpqua High School's new College and Career Center.
Seeking scholarship applications, signing up for an upcoming college fair or just stopping to chat, adviser Kristy Westbrooks juggled the teens' inquiries last Friday while piping in a few of her own, to make sure they were on target with goals and deadlines.
“You know you're in trouble, how come you didn't finish that?” she asked a student, only half teasing.
For the first year, Westbrooks isn't simply helping students with their college aspirations, she's also fulfilling her own, attending Umpqua Community College full time and working at the school as her schedule allows.
After graduating from SUHS in 1990, she attended UCC first, then transferred to Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven and later to Eastern Oregon University in La Grande, but never finished her degree.
Westbrooks has worked in the South County school district since 2004 as an instructional assistant and for the last few years as the coordinator for ASPIRE and GEAR UP, college-bound programs for high school and middle school students.
Last year, she finally decided it was time to walk the line she's pushed so many students toward.
“It was just a matter of when and this is my when,” she said of returning to college. “There's not too many things left to do (in the district) without my degree.”
Westbrooks anticipates earning her master's in arts and teaching by 2012 and hopes to teach English and literature in the local district.
SUHS students know about her double-dose of school this year and some are finding her fresh take on college more useful and relevant to drafting their post-high school plans.
“She's doing (college) now, instead of way back whenever,” senior Trista Raines said. “I wouldn't know what to do if she wasn't here.”
Senior Desiree Moan said budget cuts in June left Westbrooks as the sole advisor this year, making her half-days that much more valuable.
Though she won't take credit for the increased numbers, others in the district say since she's taken on the college-advising role South Umpqua's collegiate numbers skyrocketed.
“When you bring in as much money as she has and so many kids are going on to college, it certainly helps,” said Vice Principal Scott Pons. “(South Umpqua) is on par with more affluent schools.”
The district has a free and reduced lunch rate, an indicator of the area's poverty level of 60 percent of students.
Last year, 70 of the 100 SUHS grads were headed to two or four-year colleges and the class had captured $1.5 million in scholarship money, three times the amount won in 2007.
Seven of those students also received Ford Family Foundation scholarships.
Westbrooks was one of seven Douglas County adults to receive another Ford scholarship, the Ford ReStart Scholarship for adults returning to college.
“She's our newest college student — it's funny to watch her,” Pons joked Friday.
The financial boost of that scholarship made Westbrooks' full-time schooling possible and she says without it working would have been the full-time activity, with college tucked in where she could find the time.
As it is, Westbrooks' days are a finely orchestrated balancing act, between college, high school and her own family.
Even her two children have made sacrifices “so mommy can finish school,” she said.
As an adult, she says she appreciates college more than she did the first time around and takes it more seriously than in her youth. She earned her first 4.0 grade point average this summer at UCC.
In January, Westbrooks will transfer to Southern Oregon University in Ashland, which will make her SUHS schedule even trickier, but she feels up to the challenge and admits she's pretty much “on call” all the time through e-mail and by phone.
“This is my thing — I love working with these kids,” she said.
• You can reach reporter DD Bixby at 957-4211 or by e-mail at dbixby@nrtoday.com.
Seeking scholarship applications, signing up for an upcoming college fair or just stopping to chat, adviser Kristy Westbrooks juggled the teens' inquiries last Friday while piping in a few of her own, to make sure they were on target with goals and deadlines.
“You know you're in trouble, how come you didn't finish that?” she asked a student, only half teasing.
For the first year, Westbrooks isn't simply helping students with their college aspirations, she's also fulfilling her own, attending Umpqua Community College full time and working at the school as her schedule allows.
After graduating from SUHS in 1990, she attended UCC first, then transferred to Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven and later to Eastern Oregon University in La Grande, but never finished her degree.
Westbrooks has worked in the South County school district since 2004 as an instructional assistant and for the last few years as the coordinator for ASPIRE and GEAR UP, college-bound programs for high school and middle school students.
Last year, she finally decided it was time to walk the line she's pushed so many students toward.
“It was just a matter of when and this is my when,” she said of returning to college. “There's not too many things left to do (in the district) without my degree.”
Westbrooks anticipates earning her master's in arts and teaching by 2012 and hopes to teach English and literature in the local district.
SUHS students know about her double-dose of school this year and some are finding her fresh take on college more useful and relevant to drafting their post-high school plans.
“She's doing (college) now, instead of way back whenever,” senior Trista Raines said. “I wouldn't know what to do if she wasn't here.”
Senior Desiree Moan said budget cuts in June left Westbrooks as the sole advisor this year, making her half-days that much more valuable.
Though she won't take credit for the increased numbers, others in the district say since she's taken on the college-advising role South Umpqua's collegiate numbers skyrocketed.
“When you bring in as much money as she has and so many kids are going on to college, it certainly helps,” said Vice Principal Scott Pons. “(South Umpqua) is on par with more affluent schools.”
The district has a free and reduced lunch rate, an indicator of the area's poverty level of 60 percent of students.
Last year, 70 of the 100 SUHS grads were headed to two or four-year colleges and the class had captured $1.5 million in scholarship money, three times the amount won in 2007.
Seven of those students also received Ford Family Foundation scholarships.
Westbrooks was one of seven Douglas County adults to receive another Ford scholarship, the Ford ReStart Scholarship for adults returning to college.
“She's our newest college student — it's funny to watch her,” Pons joked Friday.
The financial boost of that scholarship made Westbrooks' full-time schooling possible and she says without it working would have been the full-time activity, with college tucked in where she could find the time.
As it is, Westbrooks' days are a finely orchestrated balancing act, between college, high school and her own family.
Even her two children have made sacrifices “so mommy can finish school,” she said.
As an adult, she says she appreciates college more than she did the first time around and takes it more seriously than in her youth. She earned her first 4.0 grade point average this summer at UCC.
In January, Westbrooks will transfer to Southern Oregon University in Ashland, which will make her SUHS schedule even trickier, but she feels up to the challenge and admits she's pretty much “on call” all the time through e-mail and by phone.
“This is my thing — I love working with these kids,” she said.
• You can reach reporter DD Bixby at 957-4211 or by e-mail at dbixby@nrtoday.com.
