College Success Advisor

ORGANIZATION

EVkids empowers underserved Boston youth with the skills and confidence needed to realize their potential. EVkids creates a community of support through 1-on-1, multi-year, academic mentoring relationships, professional family engagement and school advocacy, college success advising and mentoring support, and a summer camp at our 9-acre site in Vermont. By building a safe space where success is expected and attainable together, EVkids helps low-income students get to and through college.

Based in Dorchester, EVkids is a faith-based organization that supports low-income Boston students grades 3 to 12 aspire to and achieve college enrollment and graduation as first-generation college attendees. EVkids volunteer tutors are students at local universities, including Boston College, Harvard, Northeastern, Tufts, and UMass Boston among others. EVkids tutors commit to the values of service, community, and reflection, and as such, graduate to become lifelong agents of positive social change. 

More than 125 Tutoring pairs meet weekly across five EVkids after-school Tutoring sites, three in Dorchester, one in Roxbury, and one virtual site. They are supported through weekly contact with families, regular communication with teachers and guidance counselors, on- and off-site support for tutors, and community- and campus-based events. The EVkids College Success Project helps high school students find their spark, access internships and other resume-building opportunities, and navigate the college application process. Graduates are paired with college success mentors (often past tutors) to support them as they take control over their college journey. We also host up to 36 campers each summer at EVkids Camp in Vermont. Learn more at www.evkids.org.

OPPORTUNITY

This is a 10-month school-year position (August 15, 2024 – June 15, 2025) with annual renewal expected. The College Success Advisor (CSA) will work with the Associate Director for College Success to guide 11th and 12th grade EVkids students by providing  1-on-1  support through career exploration, assisting with the college application process, and empowering students to take control over their academic and career goals. The CSA will build relationships and provide check-ins with students, their families, and their tutors, while tracking and taking note of each student's progress. The CSA will coordinate and implement college and career readiness events, including career panels, college tours, and informational college events. The CSA will strengthen college readiness programming and assist the Associate Director for College Success as needed. 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Virtually advise 1-on-1 up to 30 EVkids students in 11th & 12th grade with career exploration, and academic and life skills, including networking, resume writing, and interviewing, the college application and financial aid process, scholarship and SAT/ACT resources, and summer job and internship opportunities 
• Coach students on self-advocacy and resourcefulness skills, refer students to appropriate resources when needed (such as their tutor), and advocate for students with schools in regards to the college application process as needed
• Maintain and take notes of monthly check-ins/meetings and ongoing communication with all students, their families, and their tutors, including timely reminders 
• Maintain individual student assessment reports; track student progress, meetings, colleges visited, colleges applied to, college acceptances, and college financial aid and scholarship awards through Salesforce and GoogleSuites
• Plan, assist, and attend all College Success events, including college and career readiness events, college tours/fairs, virtual panels, and in-person events that are typically held on virtual evening weekdays and some Saturdays
• Attend additional EVkids programming and partnership events throughout the year such as our Community Celebration and the Bottomline College & Career Fair, as well as staff meetings and weekly supervision meetings 
• Track, search, and share listservs of scholarships, resources, job/internship  opportunities with students and families on a monthly basis or when new ones arise, while updating and adding new opportunities to excel templates in GoogleSuites
• Follow up and meet with 11th & 12th-grade students about more targeted opportunities for them and track in Salesforce whether they completed applications and were selected for the program/job.
• Assist with recruitment and application process for Youth Council members
• Organize, send out communications, attend, and notetake at monthly Youth Council meetings
• Guide and assist Youth Council members in creating agendas and facilitating monthly meetings 
• Attend and support the Youth Council members with planned events and marketing 
• Attend monthly strategic planning meetings with staff to enhance Youth Council and College Success programming 

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience, in education or social work-related field preferred
• Experience in guidance counseling, college counseling, college prep, and/or college admissions 
• Professional experience working with diverse populations, including low-income and ethnically diverse populations, high-school-age youth, and families 
• Excellent writing and computer skills; familiarity with Salesforce and the PathwayU portal a plus

PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Bilingual (esp. Spanish) desired; bicultural preferred
• Personal connections to, and familiarity with, the Dorchester and/or Roxbury neighborhoods a plus
• Passion for the mission and core values of EVkids
• Cultural sensitivity & humility; openness to explore organizational racial equity efforts
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to work collaboratively with an energized, committed, and diverse team
• Comfort navigating multiple work sites, working from home, home visits, meetings at schools and in the community, and managing one's own calendar day-to-day
• Massachusetts Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) clearance required; a clean driving record, a reliable vehicle to drive students to events and college tours, and confidence navigating the neighborhoods of Dorchester and Roxbury desired

SALARY: Salary is $3,900 to $4,400/month commensurate with experience, plus $2,000 in home office and travel expense reimbursements; health care and retirement plan matches available, 4 weeks paid vacation, plus 17 paid holidays (13 fixed, 4 floating) and 5 paid sick days.

Rooted in the Catholic tradition of social justice, EVkids is made stronger through the diversity of its team working towards a more equitable, compassionate, and socially just world. We actively encourage applications from people of all races, genders, sexual orientations, disabilities, national origins, political beliefs, veteran status, family status, and any (or no) faith. EVkids has a zero-tolerance policy for child maltreatment. Research shows that women and people of color are less likely to apply for a position if they do not meet almost 100% of the desired skills and experience. If this applies to you, we encourage you to apply and make use of the cover letter to describe what draws you to this position.

Submit cover letter, resume, and references to Program Director laurenravello@evkids.org.