Over the last three years, the Iowa Department of Education has worked to expand access to professionals who understand the college admissions process for underrepresented students in high schools across Iowa. In the spring of 2021, the department opened up it’s first grant opportunity to allow community colleges and high schools to partner to add College/Career Transition Counselors (CCTC).  Now, 2 ½ years later, there are nearly 50 CCTCs across the state with nearly every community college employing at least one school counselor. By the end of this school year, there are plans to have a CCTC at every community college serving at least one high school. As the network expands, it is important to understand the role of this new person at Iowa high schools and how college admission counselors can partner to increase student enrollment in college.

I want to introduce you to Janine Baeza and myself, Juanita Zavala, Co-Chairs for the Inclusion, Access, and Success committee. Janine is the Associate Director of Freshman Recruitment & Access at the University of Northern Iowa and I am a College and Career Transition Coach (CCTC) at Indian Hills Community College. Our committee works to identify how to better serve and support underrepresented high school students with their post-secondary plans.

My name is Marissa Wetrich, and I’m your Iowa ACAC College Day/Night Chair! I also serve as one of the Assistant Directors of Admission at  my alma mater, the University of Iowa. I still hit the road and attend many Iowa ACAC College Fairs. 

The Professional Development and Practices Committee is excited to provide you with the latest updates from our committee and a few essential details about what’s to come this year from our area!

I felt that everyone at ACU was really nice and it felt like they wanted us to be successful. In the Building Bridges chat, I thought that the “selling points” activity was nice to see what all the different schools had to offer and some of the similarities that we had, especially to other small private schools. I really liked the speed dating activity that we did, I do wish that we could have been more spread out. I felt like I was shouting to talk to the person across from me, and I had a lot of trouble hearing what they had to say. I also feel like spreading out the reps that were from the same school would be helpful, that way we can hear from multiple different schools.

Despite 100 degree temperatures, 2023 ACU attendees powered through their curriculum, listened and engaged in the phenomenal presentations by our “professors,” and made ACU 2023 an event to remember. 

Working in Admissions 30 years ago, I regularly received letters, postcards, and flyers in the mail from Iowa ACAC with information on college fair registration, the individual fairs, spring conference, the Scenes newsletter, events, etc. I'd read each and every item, save as needed, note on a calendar, hold on to, or toss. We do all of those same things today, but electronically.