Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Behind the Partnership: Eloise Gibson, Beaverton school district counselor

Photos and Story by James Hill

by James HillThe Beaverton School District and Portland Community College have a dual enrollment program that has people smiling.The partnership allows high school juniors and seniors to attend their home high schools in the Beaverton district for at least one class, but also attend classes at PCC. The program targets students who are not achieving their potential in the traditional setting and have college-level skills. There are currently 60 students who are taking part in this program. Students receive their home high school diploma; their school district pays the tuition and loans them textbooks. In addition, students earn college credit through the PCC classes they are taking.Eloise Gibson, a native of Omaha, Neb. with a master’s degree from Lewis and Clark College, is one of the people smiling. She is in her fourth year as a liaison counselor for the partnership. Her job is to interview students, assisting them with class choices and registration, and to monitor their progress toward graduation. Adam Cadien, who plans to attend the University of British Columbia next year and study mechanical engineering, is taking advantage of the partnership. The senior from Sunset High School is taking 12 credits and says, "It’s been going great and has been very useful. It’s a lot more challenging with the combination of classes and the teachers. Eloise is always there for me as a counselor and has been a valuable resource about PCC and its classes."Question: What is the most challenging aspect of your job? Eloise Gibson: Things are varied and fast paced, and I always have to be self-directed. I am a one-woman band, so things never become routine or boring. There is a cycle of interviews, transcript checking, registration, book buying, monitoring, and counseling both students and parents that happens each term. Q: In your fast-paced world of keeping track and monitoring the students, what’s the most enjoyable part?EG: This position is really fun because of all the variation. I get to visit all seven high schools in the district, meet people from every building and also people from every department here at the college. I love seeing the students grow and change over the terms. In many cases, this program enables a student to finish their diploma and go on to further education. More than half of my graduates continue on at PCC and it is fun to see them on campus as adults. Q: How did you begin your career in education?EG: I started out life as a Spanish teacher: I taught two years in a high school in Nebraska, then two years at the University of Nebraska, then moved to Oregon where I taught junior high school Spanish in Forest Grove for four years. Q: What is the major benefit for students who come to PCC in this partnership?EG: Coming here gives them a chance to realize their potential in a more adult, more "real world"environment. For some of them it is the difference between drifting away from school altogether and earning a high school diploma. Another area that I think is really helpful to students is just the exposure to higher education. Many of my students probably would not have gone on to college had they not been in the partnership.Q: This partnership gives them the boost they need?EG: Yes. I have had a number of students who were very bright but completely disinterested in school. In most cases, grades in high school were mediocre at best. When the students came here, they were challenged and also given a great deal of responsibility for their own success. Many of them are completing college now. The chances that they would have sought out school before coming here were pretty low. I think exposing people to a more fulfilling life is a wonderful thing.