It was another successful RIDE in June, as school counselors and CCTCs took time out of their early summer to "Rediscover Iowa's Diverse
Education!"
RIDE is a three-day charter bus tour designed for school counselors and CCTCs, taking them on door-to-door visits to Iowa's college campuses, allowing firsthand insight to better support their students. It's a learning adventure jam-packed with college tours, activities, meals, and overnight stays in hotels and residence halls
We asked first time RIDErs Norwalk HS School Counselor Jessica Garrison and CCTC Jose Hernandez, from Hawkeye Community College, to share their take-aways and thoughts on the experience:
Jose Hernandez, College/Career Transition Counselor, Hawkeye Community College
My experience on the RIDE was a delightful experience that allowed me to connect with counseling staff, CCTCs and admissions professionals from across the state. The mix of veterans and first time RIDErs allowed for productive conversations that were filled with intrigue, optimism and nostalgia as the vets shared memorable moments from years past.
I had three big takeaways from this trip.
The first is to network! It is easy to get lost in your work at your school, institution, or district, but there are professionals across the state fighting the good fight. Take the time to network with others to see what is working for them and what isn't.
The second is that in-person experiences are extremely valuable. The multiple campus visits are seared into my memory thanks to the laughs along the way.
The third is to take advantage of professional development! You don't know what you don't know. Experiences like these can trigger new ideas. It may inspire you to plan a RIDE of your own ;) Special thanks to Iowa ACAC for providing this opportunity. I look forward to attending again in the future!
Jessica Garrison, School Counselor, Norwalk HS
Many times throughout the trip I said, "I don't know why every single high school counselor would not do this - it is such a great opportunity!" Being my first time, I had no idea what to expect and quite honestly was confused how we were going to fit so much in, in such a compacted amount of time. The schedule ran flawlessly and on time. This experience gave me the following first hand experience:
1. To meet staff directly to network and build connections. You never know when you are going to need someone and it always makes it a little easier if you already have a connection when you reach out, even if it was a brief interaction.
2. To get to know the area. For example, the NE region of Iowa is an area I had not previously explored before, so getting to not only drive around in this area but getting to eat at restaurants in each city we stayed in, really allowed me to get a good glimpse of the culture of the city to then better inform my students.
3. Stepping foot on the campus to really see what the campus has to offer. You can only see so much online, but like we tell students, you need to go there and see for yourself.
4. Networking with other school counselors. There were numerous conversations about how each counselor does a particular task at their school - a lot of brainstorming and great conversation.
5. The fun you got to have with each other each night. It was so fun to get to know everyone and just enjoy hanging out together.
