Sophomore-counselor planning conferences are just starting, and the main goal of the conferences is to help sophomores plan the rest of their high school careers with their assigned counselor. Each sophomore will be meeting with their assigned counselor based on their last name. Students should look on the counseling section of the Portola High website to find out which counselor they will be meeting with.

“Sophomore conferences will be a 45-minute meeting with your counselor and parent where we will review your transcript, graduation stats and any areas of concern,” head counselor Melissa Gibson said.

These meetings will be a time for counselors to understand and get to know students and their interests. The students will also be given a chance to ask their counselors any questions they have about their upcoming years in high school.

“I want to utilize this opportunity to gain as much knowledge from my counselor as I can so I can prepare myself for college and my different career interests,” sophomore Ali Siddiqui said.

Counselors will be ensuring that the student is on the right path to meet his or her goals. Counselors will also provide advice to the student involving which classes they should take based on their prospective colleges. Another portion they will be helping students with is to prepare for the college application process.

“Each counselor will go over each student’s transcript and credits they have completed to determine what they will discuss with the student during the meeting,” Gibson said.

These conferences are enabling students to look ahead into their perspective futures and plan out the rest of their life. The counselors will meet with the students during the upcoming months and are willing to help with anything the students need in the future.