SHA Is Hitting the Road for College Tours

By Sierra Cotton

Students at Springfield Honors Academy have been visiting multiple college campuses to learn about the benefits of attending college. College offices set up tours for students to explore their campuses. 

Junior and senior students so far have gone to Springfield College, UMass Amherst, Framingham State and Northeastern University this fall. During the college visits, students acquired information about  courses as well as programs offered to help with tuition, placement and activities.

During these college visits, students also were able to learn about the application and scholarship process of specific colleges.                                               

“I thought applying for college would be hard and annoying but it’s not, it just looks intimidating,” said Hollis Mendez, a senior who went on the Springfield College tour. “There was lots of support for financial aid programs, we were encouraged to join them throughout the entire tour.”

The college and career adviser at Springfield Honors Academy, Amanda Mills, has been actively getting students to realize the importance of college. 

Northeastern University in Boston was one of the campuses students visited

Mills began working at SHA  this year. Prior to  SHA, Mills worked as a residence hall coordinator at East Carolina University for five years and as an assistant dean of students for two years. Mills aims to assist students in figuring out their plans after high school and getting them into the college of their choosing.

“If you don’t shoot your shot,” Mills said, “you’ll miss every opportunity you can take.”

The college office is also working with seniors to help them meet college application and scholarship deadlines. 

Mills is working with seniors now to help them finish their college resumes before the deadline. She also wants students to connect with other opportunities in case they don’t plan on going directly to college after high school. During October, faculty members also gave information about the colleges they went to and ran different college-themed events.

“The current goal of the office is to have seniors complete the FAFSA before Thanksgiving, and all college applications before winter break.” said Mills. 

Sandy Viruet, a junior who went on a UMass Amherst tour, said she realized the possibilities that could happen if she went to this college.

On her trip Viruet learned about the different programs that this college offered, such as internships and studying abroad. She was surprised at the number of classes that were offered and the layout of the campus.

“Overall,” said Viruet, “the trip opened my eyes to the many opportunities that one could attain if they went to this university.”