College Access Coordinator at Mission High

Organization Overview

Mission Graduates is a nonprofit organization that increases the number of K-12 students in San Francisco's Mission District who are prepared for and complete a college education. We work towards fulfilling our mission through a wide range of after-school support services that serve over 4,800 children, youth, and families each year.  Our vision is to transform the culture of our neighborhood so that college becomes the expectation for Mission families rather than the exception. 

As the lead partner for Mission High School’s College & Career Program, Mission Graduates oversees the development of a higher education-going culture and offers a wide range of college and career services to all major stakeholders—youth, parents, the school staff, and partners. In addition, Mission Graduates organizes and supports Future Center-focused events and activities. These efforts occur as part of an embedded interdisciplinary team with case management, mentoring programs, and alum support services. 

• The Mission High College Access Coordinator plays a critical role in achieving Mission Graduate’s mission of increasing the number of K-12 students in San Francisco’s Mission District who are prepared to succeed in higher education. The College Access Coordinator is responsible for working collaboratively with the College and Career Team on Mission Graduates’ college access strategy, which includes developing educational equity and social justice curriculum, managing college access events and providing college advising and mentoring services to Mission High students. Although the College Access Coordinator will work closely with 9th and 10th graders to successfully transition them into high school they will also provide assistance to student from other grade levels as needed. The College Access Coordinator position requires someone who is highly organized and pays attention to details. The College Access Coordinator should be a self-motivated individual who knows the Mission community, has a strong social justice analysis, is bilingual in Spanish, and has a passion for working with teens.

• Program Coordination 
• Coordinate college persistence programming with the support of MHS College Success Manager.
• Deep knowledge of the nature of the achievement gap in San Francisco and approaches designed for students experiencing that gap.
• Assist Program Manager in identifying MHS community needs, establishing program priorities, and implementing plans to address these needs and priorities.
• Contribute to developing College Access and Success programming and content, including transcript reviews and educational plans, college admissions process, personal statement development, financial aid, college applications, and scholarship applications and resources.
• Assist Program Manager in implementing program evaluations and utilizing evaluation findings in program development to ensure positive outcomes.
• Assist Program Manager in maintaining all program records, including participant files and curriculum.
• Assist in preparing data for funding proposals and reports regarding college persistence.
• In collaboration with other MG team members, assist in recruiting, training, and supervising volunteers and program consultants.
• In collaboration with the College Success Manager, support in coordinating the Mission Success Cohort Program.

• Provide academic and college counseling to Mission High School students in collaboration with the Future Center team. 
• Provide individualized college counseling to students and their parents/guardians regarding college exploration, college applications, financial aid, and admissions decisions.
• Research, identify, and maintain contact with appropriate summer programs, college scholarships, and community partners.
• Facilitate Summer Program classes or workshops about college access and readiness.
• Serve as a positive role model for high school students.

• Assist in 1 class (4 times a week), and participate in common planning time. 
• Build relationships with students in embedded classes to develop socio-emotional skills, academic expectations, and college readiness. 
• Provide resources for students who demonstrate the need for emotional and academic support.
• Provide tiered attendance support: call home for every second absence; call home to celebrate attendance improvements; analyze weekly attendance data provided by the Attendance Clerk; make referrals to the Coordinated Care Team and other support groups in the school. 
• Intentional relationship building with youth, parents, and community partners.
• Making connections outside of the academic setting to build trust (e.g., attending student extracurricular events, chaperoning field trips).

• Coordinate with the school staff and CBO’s focusing on college access to ensure all MHS students consider college after high school.
• Build/strengthen relationships with Mission High staff, faculty, students, parents, and community partners.
• Assist in outreach to youth and families, including creating all relevant marketing materials.
• Assist with parent engagement activities and maintain positive parent relations.
• Manage social media platforms to promote programming, resources, and events. 

• 1-2 years of experience working with diverse youth in community and public school settings, focusing on college access programming.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with the best practices in youth development program planning, curriculum development, methods of teaching, and evaluation.
• Demonstrated effectiveness in program development and implementation.
• Advanced knowledge of the college application process and financial aid system.
• Familiarity with college access challenges that are specific to first-generation college students.
• Familiarity with and experience working in or with schools and community-based organizations. 
• Familiarity and experience working with undocumented youth.
• Bilingual Spanish/English fluency desired.
• BA or BS required.
• Current CPR certification (or attained within 2 months of employment).
• TB test clearance is mandatory before hiring.
• Experience working in communities of color with low-income populations.
• Candidates must be flexible, well-organized, and able to take initiative.
• Some weekends and evenings required

Mission Graduates Is an Equal Opportunity EmployerMission Graduates provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants in all of our employment practices, including selection, hiring, promotion, transfer, termination, leaves of absence, training and compensation, without regard to race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, uniformed service member/veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, medical condition or disability, by applicable federal, state and local laws.