Sioux Falls pilot program places advisers at Jefferson High to boost college and career access

Sioux Falls — The Sioux Falls School District and the Promising Futures Fund have launched a pilot College and Career Access Program at Jefferson High School to connect students and families with advisers who guide them through college, technical school, military and workforce pathways, district and nonprofit officials said. "The program is being piloted at Jefferson this year," said Jessica Carlson, director of the College and Career Access Program.

The program is aimed primarily at students from first-generation and low-income backgrounds, Carlson said, and advisers work alongside Jefferson’s counseling department to provide one-on-one guidance on admissions, scholarships and financial aid applications such as the FAFSA. "Our advisors are there to walk alongside them to really navigate those processes and barriers that might prevent them from taking concrete steps towards those goals,"…