Get Ready Spotlights

Minnesota Get Ready Program Pushes to Ensure All Students are Served

Heidi Paulson is a Get Ready Pathways Coordinator who serves at Apollo High School in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Recently, she had a student approach her with a concern: he was struggling with what to do after graduation. He wanted to attend college, but he didn’t think he’d be able to because of a learning disability.

Heidi got started by spending some time with the student, discussing his future and going over the results of his interest assessment together. This culminated in the student deciding to explore an HVAC program at a local community college. Heidi took the next steps by working with the college to set up a tour of the program for the two of them. She also arranged for meetings with the Director of TRIO/Upward Bound, an academic college prep program, as well as the college’s Accessibility Services and Admissions Counselor. Heidi then helped the student complete the college application and additional paperwork.

A few weeks later, Heidi received another visit from the student, this time with exciting news – he was accepted into the program and was looking forward to starting the fall after graduation!

“He told me none of this would have happened without my help and encouragement and the Get Ready program," Heidi said. “He is so happy to have a plan and can see himself doing this career for many years."

Get Ready Students Visit with Colleges

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This fall, our Get Ready schools have had great success with college and post-secondary opportunity visits. These visits serve the students by spreading interest in the programs and activities available to them during their journeys after high school, and help determine what college or organization may be the right fit for their future. In addition, students are able to establish an initial point of contact with college or organization officials, ask questions, and acquire key resources. We look forward to the continuation of these events and providing students a firsthand view of all the opportunities they have post-secondary.

Get Ready would like to thank the following colleges and organizations for their participation: Concordia University, Dunwoody College of Technology, Hamline University, Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center, Indigenous Roots Cultural Arts Center, Minnesota National Guard, Minnesota State University – Mankato, Moorhead State University, Saint Paul College, Southwest Minnesota State University, St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud Tech & Community College, St. John’s University Student Ambassadors, The College of St. Scholastica, University of Minnesota – Duluth, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, University of North Dakota, US Army.

And a big thank you to all who helped with the events and encouraged students to participate!

MnACC College Fair

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The Minnesota Association of Counselors of Color (MnACC) is a post-secondary collaborative dedicated to improving access to higher education for Minnesota's students of color. Each year, MNACC hosts college fairs at high schools within the Twin Cities metro. Three of Get Ready's schools, Tech High School (St. Cloud), Apollo High School (St. Cloud), and Harding High School (St. Paul), partnered with MnACC for their fall fair circuit this past November, in which each were met with a great turnout. We look forward to partnering with MnACC during their spring circuit where more Get Ready students will be able to explore higher education opportunities!