As many students start their junior year, there is one topic on their minds: college applications. Although this is high on the list of priorities for juniors, some students do not know much about the college application process or how to go about being accepted into a desired college. Thankfully, the counseling department is welcoming the new college and career specialist, Nicole Rengifo this year.

“Overall, my main focus is helping students learn about different colleges and career opportunities,” Rengifo said. “Part of my job is doing college visits, anything related to college applications and answering questions on things such as testing information, scholarships and community service.”

Since the college application process is already stressful, Rengifo’s main focus is to ease the process for students by answering questions like whether to take the SAT or ACT and how to include community service hours on your college application. By giving students access to a college counselor it helps elimination some of the stress that is caused by the college application process.

“Ms. Regnifo guided me through the process of obtaining a work permit for a job I was offered to teach piano at a music studio here in Irvine,” junior Eden Yeh said. “This allows me to legally have a job while still in high school.”

In addition to helping students deal with college applications, Rengifo is also the career specialist, which means that she can help students obtain work permits. In addition to that she can also help students sign up for Regional Occupational Program (ROP) classes which are designed to help students learn about the career they want to pursue.

“Ms. Rengifo is very student-centered. She has experience not only working with students, but in the classroom teaching as well,” lead counselor Melissa Gibson said. “Students can utilize her to learn about scholarship information, getting a job and work experience.”

Rengifo’s diverse set of skills makes her a valuable resource for students that are wanting to gain job experience, apply for colleges or participate in community service hours.