Senior Bianca Ibarra, who will be the first member of her family to go to college, admits the college process before applying to schools this year.

“Since I’m first-generation, my parents and I knew nothing about the college process. I didn’t even know how to apply,” she said.

Luckily, she teamed up with College Bound Opportunities, a nonprofit organization that works to inspire low-income and first generation high schoolers to reach their post-high school goals.

Students are carefully paired up with a mentor to guide them through the rough transition from high school to college and college to a career.

Ibarra says her adviser helped her with financial aid, supplemental essays, and more.

“They’re also super supportive and give lots of different resources. They give some scholarships to help with the expenses of college. They can also fly out with you for trips to visit schools, and it’s honestly just such a great program for first gen and low income students,” she said.

The mentors continue contact with their students all throughout college to connect them to resources on campus. They’ll provide support in any way possible to ensure a timely graduation.

After college, aid is given in starting a career. CBO hosts job fairs for their participants to start networking and getting their name out there with big companies

Director of Educational Services Dr. Patrick Sassen says counselors and teachers are able to give information to anyone who asks and might benefit from the program. Applications open in April.

“The application itself is pretty substantial, so we hold before and after school application programs so that families can come in and get help with the application process,” he said.

Besides counselors, Sassen says he has been working with middle schools to get the word out.

“This last fall I partnered with the principals from both Deerpath and Lake Bluff Middle School to provide communication to their families hoping that families of 7th graders and 8th graders would be better suited coming into the high school knowing about this program rather than finding out too late,” he said.