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College Connect

Partnering with local school districts for student success

SARA SCHARF

For Iowa Central Community College employee Sara Scharf, Iowa Central feels like home, but for Danielle Balk, Iowa Central is a new environment; however, both are entering brand-new positions working with high school partnerships. Scharf has worked at Iowa Central since 2003, working her way up to the Director of Enrollment and will now be the Director of High School Partnerships. As for Balk, she is a new face on the Fort Dodge campus as a College and Career Transition Counselor. She has worked as a high school counselor since 2016, coming from Southeast Valley High School. But for both Scharf and Balk, they are excited to work with our nineteen area schools in meeting the college and career needs of students.

Scharf and Balk may have different titles, but they are looking to achieve one common goal: set students up for success in their future. This may include coming to Iowa Central or attending a different two-year community college, a private university or four-year institution. “We want all students to have the opportunity to take college level courses and know these courses are going to transfer correctly to wherever they decide to go” says Scharf. This summer, Scharf and Balk worked on creating transfer guides for the nineteen area schools to help students, parents, counselors, and anyone looking at the High School Partnerships section of the Iowa Central website, understand what classes they take and how they transfer. They can also find how classes fall into an Associate’s degree at Iowa Central or one of the many career and technical options available for students.

Some of the other things we can do is help with the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Often, this can be a barrier for some students to attend college. “We don’t want this to be such a daunting task that students do not attend college because of it,” says Balk. Iowa

DANIELLE BALK

Central Community College also has a Financial Aid department that is willing to help anyone fill out their FAFSA. “Even if a student is not coming to Iowa Central, we are still here to help!” says Scharf. Students can take classes that funnel right into a Last Dollar Scholar Program and essentially, a student’s tuition is covered 100% in over twenty-eight career and technical programs. Scholarships are another huge asset for students when entering college and, we want to ensure that students are aware of all scholarship opportunities available to them.

Balk will be working with students to also explore career opportunities for those wanting to join the workforce right after high school. “What I am looking forward to the most about this position is assisting the counselors anyway that I can in the college and career aspect and building relationships with the students to help guide them in their chosen path,” says Balk. This allows students to make connections in the community through job shadows, internships, classroom speakers and more. to help students explore what is around the Fort Dodge area. There are many fantastic opportunities here that students can take advantage of. We are here to help connect students with these employers in hopes they gain skills to build a career.

These collaborated efforts are at the heart of our mission and vision here in Iowa Central. Dr. Jesse Ulrich, President of Iowa Central Community College, “We want students to complete their degree in the least amount of time, with the least amount of debt so that students can have a better life.” Scharf and Balk are one of the many resources Iowa Central offers to help students achieve this goal alongside their future goals. You can learn more today about Iowa Central at www.iowacentral.edu or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Linked In.

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