Implementing Near-Peer Postsecondary Advising with AdviseVA

Lorant Peeler (LP): Can you tell us a little bit about your program and how it aligns with the mission of the Partnership for Student Success to expand evidence-based and people-powered student supports nationally?

Alex Johnston-Coleman (AJC): AdviseVA is an AmeriCorps program out of the University of Virginia. We hire recent college graduates to serve as Pathway Advisers in high-need high schools all across the Commonwealth to expand postsecondary access for students, who are potentially first in their families to pursue higher education or from lower-income backgrounds.

Our Pathways Advisers serve full-time in our 73 partner high schools, and they’re there to provide one-on-one admissions and financial aid advice to students and families, and to encourage students to think about all of the postsecondary pathways that are offered to them. We also expect them to also be a part of the community and really establish themselves as such.

Our mission aligns with the Partnership for Student Success because evidence-based practices and people-powered supports are our bread and butter, and we know that near-peer one-on-one advising works. We’re really proud to provide that for over 17,000 high school seniors each year.

LP: Could you share a story that highlights your impact on a student or your community?

AJC: Yes, I’ll share a recent story that we wrote about a student’s success. It is from a partner high school in Greene County, Virginia. 

“Kingston was a standout student in William Monroe High School’s Class of 2026. He knew early on that he wanted to go to college, but was concerned that he would not be able to afford the high cost of attending a four-year university. His AdviseVA Pathways Adviser, Wyatt, met with him throughout his senior year to provide guidance at each step in his planning process. Kingston benefited from the variety of programs Wyatt coordinated, participating in college admission representative visits, a FAFSA completion workshop, and multiple one-on-one advising sessions. Through Wyatt’s Virginia College Application Week programming, which is an initiative that allows students to receive application fee waivers for Virginia’s colleges, Kingston saved over $200 in college application fees. Kingston’s diligent efforts really paid off. This fall, he will begin his studies in mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of Virginia. And the financial aid and scholarships that Wyatt helped Kingston access will allow him to graduate debt-free, which is incredibly exciting.”

I also have a couple of quotes from our students. This first one is about TJ, who is a Pathways Adviser at Kettle Run High School in Fauquier County, Virginia.

“TJ makes us students his top priority, no matter what. Even if his schedule is packed, he will always make time to answer a question, read an essay, or have a conversation about our futures. He also organized essay workshops and somehow made them fun.”

This quote from a student is about Carly, a Pathways Adviser at Central High School in Wise, Virginia.

“Carly has always supported me throughout my journey of figuring out what my future is. Never have I felt that my dreams were too big when talking to her. She guided me through the process of FAFSA, Common App, and applying to my dream schools.”

LP: How has being part of the Partnership for Student Success benefited you or your organization?

AJC: The Higher Education Coalition has been a particularly compelling part of the organization for us. Because our work is unique as it sits at the intersection of K-12 and higher education, it is hard to find other coalitions or associations that really understand our work or are doing similar work. It feels like we’ve found a nice home, where I have colleagues that I can talk to who are doing similar work and glean wisdom from their programming successes and bring it back to our organization.

For example, you connected me with the TRIO program out of James Madison University, which was a real benefit for me both personally and professionally. I learned a lot about grant management from them, and we shared some tips and tricks with one another that I’m hoping will allow us to both continue to flourish in our respective programs.

LP: Speaking of tips and tricks, what’s one piece of advice you have for organizations looking to expand or improve evidence-based and people-powered student supports?

AJC: Find your niche and amplify it. 

The organizations that we lead and that we’re a part of have a specific mission that is intended to address a specific community need or a gap. And as we are pursuing that mission, we often find that other needs become illuminated, and sometimes get eager and want to address as much need as possible, even if it is beginning to get away from the main mission.

Though I think that that is a truly noble effort, it’s important to find what you’re good at, and just be really good at it. In order to expand and improve, identify those one or two niches that you have, and amplify them.  Try to make something that you’re doing great even better.

Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity. Student and advisor names have been changed.