High school counselors talk with SBVC mascot Blue at conference
Counselors from 27 local high schools learned about the advantages of a San Bernardino Valley College education at the counseling department’s High School Counselors & Career Technicians Conference March 6. 

“Your role is so important for our students ’success,” SBVC President Gilbert J. Contreras told attendees. 

The high school counselors enjoyed food prepared by SBVC culinary arts students, answered trivia questions posed by Contreras, and listened to a faculty panel speak about trades like aeronautics, HVAC, and water supply technology. The school with the most representatives, Arroyo Valley, won $500 for their ASB. 

Dean of Counseling and Matriculation Marco Cota outlined the Valley Up! initiative and how its priorities serve incoming Wolverines and told attendees SBVC counselors hope “you’ll be successful in opening doors for your students to come to Valley College.” 

Counseling staff members also spoke about the dual enrollment program, sharing that dual-enrolled high schoolers learn essential skills like time management, and the Dedicated Engagement to Empower Part-Timers (D.E.E.P.) program, which started in 2023. “The goal is to make those students feel integrated, make them feel welcome, and they know where to go,” D.E.E.P. Coordinator Ayanna Spivey said.