Just the other day, Sonya Smith, a college advisor at Hazelwood East High School, ran into one of her students who graduated in 2013.
“When he was a senior, he knew what he wanted to do in life,” Smith said. “He just didn’t know how to get there.”
The student had some “questionable things” on his academic record, but he really wanted him to go to college, she said. In the end, Smith contacted the school he wanted to go to and helped land him a spot for that fall semester.
When they saw each other recently, he said he is doing well in college.
“He said, ‘Mrs. Smith, every time I want to give up, I think about you and I think about everything you did to get me into that school and I can’t let you down,’” she said. “I wanted to cry in front of him, but I thought he’s 20 years old. He probably doesn’t want to see this old lady crying in the store.”
Her proudest achievements as a counselor are hearing stories like this, she said.
“I’m here for these students,” she said, “to meet them where they are in order to accomplish what they need to accomplish for the future.”
When Smith came to Hazelwood East three years ago, one of the things that concerned her was that parents were unable to file their federal financial aid application – the FAFSA (Free Application for Student Aid) – because they couldn’t afford to have their incomes taxes completed.
“I said whatever I do, it has to benefit our students and our district,” she said.
That’s why she partnered with the St. Louis Metropolitan Tax Coalition and Fifth Third Bank to host a free income tax preparation night to help all district families.
Any Hazelwood families with juniors or seniors can come to the school’s state-of-the-art library to get their taxes done for free. Then the following week, the Hazelwood East counselors host a FASFA Frenzy, which is one of the biggest events in the district. The seniors come in and fill out the FASFA, they attach the taxes that they had done just the week before, “and everything’s done,” she said.
This helps students meet the completion of by the FASFA “first priority deadline” of March 1.
Smith’s greatest reward is seeing the faces of her students when they bring in their acceptance letters from college. That brings her joy, she said.
Smith serves the school’s about 1,400 students. One of the students’ main concerns is finding money – particularly how to maximize the affordability of going to college. When she came to the district, she found that many students had the desire to seek out their career paths but just needed direction in getting there.
She continues to work hard seeking out initiatives to help students at Hazelwood East as well as the Hazelwood School District community.
“My lifelong goal is to help all students where they are,” she said. “Being a part of assisting in that foundation to student success is the greatest gift one could give and I’m proud to be a part of that process.”
