About the 20 Stories Series
To celebrate 20 years of impact, we're sharing 20 stories from the people who’ve made our journey possible. From past participants to longtime partners, these voices reflect the heart of our program. Each story highlights the voices, experiences, and milestones that shaped our community. This is one of them.
What about AdviseVA’s efforts resonates with you?
AdviseVA’s mission makes them such a perfect partner organization. The very students who walk the halls of Alexandria City High School, the community that the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria is proud to serve, are the future changemakers that benefit from the work of AdviseVA. The peer-to-peer model is truly impactful. Our students feel so at-ease working with our AdviseVA advisers. Our AdviseVA advisers are not only compassionate, they’re knowledgeable thanks to their ongoing training and development as well as the overall structure that’s been created to support them.
What has been your favorite or most memorable experience working with AdviseVA?
My oldest child graduated from Alexandria City High School/then TC Williams, in 2017. That is when we met a former AdviseVA adviser who had become the SFA’s Director of College Advising. She became the go-to person for my son, on all-things-college-advising. Since joining team SFA, I’ve had the good fortune of working with a former AdviseVA adviser who served on our Board of Trustees, and I’ve also had the honor of seeing our most recent AdviseVA graduate launch as a College & Career Specialist at a local public high school after completing two years at SFA. AdviseVA and our AdviseVA advisers are part of the fabric of our community.
We also love taking part in the interview process with our current advisers. The process is so well organized and on the lighter side, being in those cool boxes during Interview Days is so much fun!
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your partnership with AdviseVA?
We’re so grateful for the trust you’ve placed in us over these past two decades and we are excited for the future of this program and our continued partnership. We take the responsibility of supervising and mentoring our advisers seriously. Our Director of College Advising and I make sure that our advisers continue to grow and develop professionally, and that we are hopefully modeling the type of environment and workplace culture that our advisers deserve and should expect wherever they go after they’ve completed their time at the SFA.