Colleen went to a high school with about 1000 students in rural Iowa. She rarely interacted with her counselor, given the student volume. Her family, teachers and friends provided her the support and guidance as she mapped out her future Colleen Koppes, College and Career Coordinator at Dowling Catholic High School in Des Moines, Iowa. On our podcast, Colleen shares her background, her counseling approach, dealing with Dream Colleges, the COVID impact, and advice to high school students. In particular, we discuss the following with her: Colleen Koppes’ Background Approach to College Counseling Navigating Dream Colleges Advice for Rising Seniors Topics discussed in this episode: Introducing Colleen Koppes [0:41] Hi Fives - Podcast Highlights [1:38] Professional Background [4:27] Why Counseling? [5:46] Switching to High School [7:11] About Dowling Catholic High School [8:41] Role at the School [10:01] Approach to College Counseling [12:23] The Challenges [14:39] Dealing with Dream Colleges [18:03] Changes over the last decade [21:06] Going Undeclared [27:18] Early Application Strategy [29:54] COVID Impact [32:15] Advice for High Schoolers [34:25] Staying Excited [37:46] Our Guest: Colleen Koppes is the College and Career Coordinator at Dowling Catholic High School in Des Moines, Iowa. Memorable Quote: “...if I can have even the slightest impact on a young person's life throughout the support and advice I provide them, I think that makes all the difference to me and my fulfillment as a college counselor.” Colleen Koppes. Episode Transcript: Please visit Episode’s Transcript. Recommended Episodes: College Experiences Calls-to-action: Subscribe to our Weekly Podcast Digest. Follow us on Instagram. To Ask the Guest a question, or to comment on this episode, email podcast@almamatters.io. Subscribe or Follow our podcasts at any of these locations:Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify.