Megyn Monarrez is the new College Advisor this year located in student services. Her office is the first door on the right.
This is a new position at GEHS and is something that seniors can utilize if they need help with figuring out what happens after high school.
“This is a completely new position at GEHS,” Monarrez said. “Prior to this year, the duties of my role were split between the counselors, but since they have so many other things to do, the district office decided to lobby for my position to be brought to the school.”
Monarrez grew up in the Midwest. She was born in Kansas and eventually ended up back in Kansas for her career.
“I grew up all over the Midwest,” Monarrez said. “I was born in Shawnee Mission, KS, but grew up in Nebraska, Illinois, St. Louis, and Kansas City (but on the Missouri side). I went to Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, MO for my undergrad and received a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. I also went to Kansas State University for grad school and received a Master of Science in Curriculum & Instruction.”
Before she found out about College Advising being an opportunity, she previously taught elementary and middle school students.
“I decided to do this job because I had previously worked in schools (elementary and middle) and knew I loved working with kids, but wanted a different experience than being in the classroom,” Monarrez said. “I heard about the College Advising Corps from one of my friends from high school and then interviewed for the position. I also knew that when I was in high school, I thought the process of applying for college and figuring out what to do was insanely complicated and confusing, so I wanted to help with that aspect as well.”
This year all of the seniors have to set up a meeting with her sometime this year just to figure out what the future holds.
“I set up meetings primarily on Calendly, which is an online scheduling platform. You can get there in several ways – the link is calendly.com/gehsmonarrez,which is also linked in my email signature, or you can scan the QR code which is in the counseling office,” Monarrez said.
There are many options after college and when at the meeting students can look at all of them to get an idea of what they want to do.
“Other than college, some other options are going to trade school (which could be at a community college), going into the military, going straight into the workforce, and taking a gap year. All of these are valid options,” Monarrez said.
If you have a meeting with her soon, think of some questions to ask. The most common questions so far have been about scholarships and financial aid.
“The best ways to find scholarships are to utilize your resources,” Monarrez said. “A lot of colleges/universities will offer merit scholarships, but also have external or private scholarships that have a separate application. The Gardner-Edgerton area has a lot of local scholarships (opening around Spring Break). Many employers and organizations will also offer scholarships to the children of their employees/members. There are also scholarship databases, like Going Merry, that have thousands of scholarships on them. Just keep in mind that those are usually nationwide scholarships.”
Monarrez was not sure what school she would come to, but she likes it here so far.
“I actually didn’t get to choose the school I would be placed at, due to the structure of the Kansas State College Advising Corps, but I’m really glad I was placed here,” Monarrez said. “At GEHS, I liked how welcoming everyone was to me as a new person in the building.”
Monarrez is available to help with any questions on anything related to after high school.
“To all the seniors, don’t be afraid to ask for help,” Monarrez said. “Figuring out what you want to do after high school is difficult. Use your resources and support systems to help you succeed. This year, I’m really looking forward to seeing what paths you all choose.”
