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College & Career Advising

Education is Freedom (EIF) places Higher Education Advisors in traditionally underserved high schools to assist students with college, career, and life readiness. These advisors have their own classroom equipped with computers where they provide expert knowledge to assist students with post-secondary preparatory activities (applications for college admission, financial aid, military, workforce readiness, and more).

Students posing in office

Who are Higher Education Advisors?

Higher Education Advisors (HEAs) come from a variety of college backgrounds, with degrees ranging from bachelor’s to doctorate. Many are near-peer, meaning they are recent college graduates, they mirror the school’s student demographics (including multilingual capabilities), and they possess a wealth of cultural acumen. HEAs go through intensive training before and during each school year to ensure they are fully equipped with the tools they need to assist students as they explore college and career options after graduation. They serve as college advisors, mentors, and role models to EIF students whose parents and peers may not understand the value of a formal education or have limited knowledge of what it takes to enter and succeed in college.

Check out our full staff list, including HEAs.

What do Higher Education Advisors do?

Full-time HEAs are dedicated to one campus for the entire school year and are in their classroom throughout the school day to assist all students with activities related to their future education. In high schools, this includes:

  • Researching college options
  • Working on applications
  • Writing admissions essays
  • Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA)
  • Completing scholarship applications
  • Exploring workforce training and certification programs
  • Supporting SAT/ACT, Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA), and Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) preparation

Each HEA also manages their school’s EIF Scholars program.

In addition to daily student interaction and guidance, HEAs facilitate all student and parent activities throughout the year, such as college application and SAT/ACT preparatory workshops. HEAs also facilitate EIF’s annual financial aid workshops for EIF parents and students to complete federal and state financial aid applications.

HEAs commemorate their students’ hard work and success at the end of each school year by supporting National Decision Day, where seniors get to share their college plans with classmates and family and celebrate their decision to continue their education.