WATCH: Finding the Right Fit College & Thriving workshop

Mar 17 2023

When you are looking for a college to go to, there are lots of things to think about. Assets School hosted a community event on College Fit and Persistence Workshop: Finding the Right Fit College & Thriving There at Damon Hall on Thursday, March 9. The 90-minute workshop was live-streamed on Assets School’s YouTube Channel.

Assets School’s College and Career Counselor Farris James coordinated the event. She’s worked at Assets School since 2006. Her job is to guide students to figure out what is next after high school whether that is a job, trade school, military, or college. Her College/Career Guidance class is required to graduate.

“Part of Assets' mission is to be an outreach and advocacy organization for our kind of students everywhere,” James said.

James explained how college is different from high school.

“High School is table service for accommodations and support,” said James. “College is a buffet. Some people say it is a buffet with a scavenger hunt where you have to go find the food stations. A college fit is complex for all students but for students with learning exceptionalities it is just that little bit more complex.”

The featured speakers were both from the University of Portland: Interim Dean of Admissions Matt Deschner and Shepard Academic Resource Center Director Brenda Greiner.

Deschner has been with the University of Portland since 2005. He shared that he manages his ADHD and has family members with dyslexia.

“Deep breathing, yoga, help from medical professionals, and asking for help has been so valued to me, and allowed me to get to a place to be interim dean,” Deschner said.

He described what a student and their family can look for when deciding which college would be a good fit.

“This is not just for students but also parents,” said Descher. “This is a family affair. This is a family journey. This is a huge decision. It’s also a big decision all of you need to consider together because it is going to shape the rest of your lives.”

He also talked about how the college admission process works.

Shepard Academic Resource Center Director Brenda Greiner has worked at the University of Portland for 25 years, She elaborated on a few things you can do when you’re in college that will help you.

“Students are always transitioning into their experience at college,” Greiner said. “We are experts at helping students in their journey. We are kind of like the auto club on campus. If you don’t know where to go. If you don’t even know what questions you want to ask, come to us. We can either get you connected to the right person or the right resource on campus.”

This workshop was a collaboration between Assets School, the University of Portland, and the Hawaii Association for College Admission Counseling (HACAC). It is available for viewing on the Assets YouTube channel at this link.

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WATCH: Finding the Right Fit College & Thriving workshop

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