A personalized approach for all students makes Bishop Garcia Diego High School a place where they can be successful. In fact, the school has a 100% college acceptance rate.
The independent Catholic school is open to students of all faiths, and its college counseling program is tailored to each of its nearly 300 students’ needs and goals. College counselor Rya Carpenter, who has more than 20 years of experience, starts a file on every new student.
“I track their academic progress, ask them about their college and career aspirations, guide them on how to research options, point out summer enrichment opportunities and help them with difficult decisions about course planning, extracurricular planning, and how to tackle the college list,” she said.
Working with Carpenter is academic counselor Jean Anderson, who coordinates a freshman academic planning date and runs the parent night for freshmen families.
“I am a big believer in the power of knowledge,” Carpenter said. “It helps people make sound, informed decisions and helps to reduce stress.”
Along with Anderson, Carpenter gets to know freshmen and sophomores.
“They get to express career interests, which I try to take into consideration when bringing career speakers on campus,” she said.
The focus for these students should be on pushing themselves to success in challenging courses.
“What this looks like is different for each person, and so we take great care to dispel myths about what colleges require or look for in an applicant,” Carpenter said. “We take the time to make sure each student feels confident their class schedule is setting them up to have academic success in working toward their college and career goals.”
As students reach junior year, Carpenter and her team turn to applications.
“I do lots and lots of training with juniors in the classroom about how to tackle essays and many other elements of the college research and application process,” Carpenter said. “Essays are the new SAT/ACT. Testing has taken a back seat, and so essays have risen in terms of importance. My students are not alone in tackling this critical component.”
Carpenter will help throughout the process, from brainstorming essay topics and beginning drafts to proofreading.
Additionally, students benefit from visits from more than 50 colleges around the country, and Carpenter travels to many colleges to network, so she can better guide student applicants. Last year, she toured schools in Washington, Florida, and the Washington, D.C., area. Her next visits are in Ohio. Bishop Diego also has partnerships with and support from local colleges, such as CSU Channel Islands, Westmont, and UC Santa Barbara.
“The close bonds we have with admission reps, who visit our school at least twice per year, is very impactful,” she said. “Students and parents find comfort in hearing information from the horse’s mouth.”
As for financial aid, Bishop Diego offers a training program, with information about financial aid opportunities, actual cost of attendance, return on investment, and creating a budget early.
“We’ve added several presentations that go as early as eighth grade training to help incoming parents through senior parents,” Carpenter said. “We are going to be catching parents much earlier in terms of helping them prepare for what’s ahead and how to better strategize the college list.”
Students and parents can also access several databases with information about colleges, careers, and admission opportunities at individual colleges.
“At every turn, I try to bombard families with information about how college admission works, and I make myself available to answer individual questions that come up,” Carpenter said.