When you ask the DSST: Green Valley Ranch High School College Success Team what they’re most proud of, their answers reveal a deep commitment to students, families and the power of opportunity through college access. They are one team out of many across our network, all working towards ambitious goals.
Celebrating Student Success
Karla Garcia-Vanderhorst, Campus Coordinator of College Success, beams with pride when she talks about students’ applications and the incredible opportunities they’re pursuing.
She also highlights the role families play in this journey, and how years of partnership are now bearing fruit.
Garcia-Vanderhorst shared a story that has stood out to her over her time at DSST. A student who had her heart set on a single opportunity, but Garcia-Vanderhorst encouraged her to keep multiple doors open. When the first application fell through, the second became the lifeline that would have never made it to application. That persistence and guidance changed the course of that student’s future.
“Thank you so much,” the student shared when the second letter award arrived, “I can’t imagine what would have happened had you not coached me to keep my options open.”
Making Dreams Come True
For Tyler Shanahan, a former higher education professional, the work with students reminds him of his own journey to find college.
“Our job as counselor is to make students’ dreams come true,” he said with conviction.
The team invests time in understanding each student, their story, hopes, and ambitions. They start early, building a college-going culture from ninth grade with constant, clear communication with families and students. The majority of GVR HS students were GVR middle school students and have been on a seven-year journey with DSST.
Shanahan also challenges the myths that college doesn’t have to mirror K–12 experience. He uses his own journey to show students that success is possible and having the agency to choose your future matters.
Driving towards College Success
Unified and Intentional
Chelsea McCoy points to the team’s alignment with the entire staff as a major strength. Their unity ensures students receive consistent support and messaging about college and career pathways. Alumni feedback plays a critical role in shaping programs. One alumna, accepted into a prestigious program, returned to share that she felt the need to elevate her academic study habits. That insight led to new supports for current students.
"Implementing dynamic and transformational college counseling practices is work we cannot afford to shy away from, because within it lies the ability to empower students and families with the knowledge, access, and support that is needed to close systemic educational and wealth gaps,” McCoy shared. “I truly believe that education leads to liberation and that we are a foundational stepping stone in helping our students, families, and communities in achieving the long-term individual and collective change and liberation that our society so desperately wants and needs."
McCoy will be presenting at the National Alliance of Black School Educators Conference this month on best practices in college access.
Persistence and Personalization
Mustafa Mobarez brings his experience as a GVR alum to the table, modeling resilience and persistence for students. Mobarez learned English in high school at GVR and recalls how his teachers and leaders poured into him directly. Despite numerous challenges, he committed to GVR, and then CU Boulder, and then back to serve his own community with a dream of building a technology platform to provide college access to students abroad.
He emphasizes intentionality and personalization in every interaction. The team’s internship program reflects this approach, offering real-world experiences that align with students’ passions, from marine biology internships at an aquarium to aerospace engineering opportunities at CU Boulder.
Relationships at the Core
At the root of every conversation with the GVR team, a few themes stood out:
Dreams as Big as the Stratosphere
Nati Alem, Class of 2026, GVR HS
Nati Alem, Class of 2026, can show you how these key themes work together to help a student find their path.
Alem has dreamt of being in aerospace since he was a kid. Working with the college success team at GVR has led to multiple internships in aerospace engineering. The confidence he has built guided him to apply to some of the top math and science institutions in the country.
"If it were not for GVR, I know I wouldn’t have had these opportunities,” he shared. “I feel like it’s been a good ROI coming here.”
The GVR counseling team is guiding students through applications, with over 1000 submitted to date, with the first 1000 being submitted before December (a DSST first). They also have eight Daniel’s Fund Scholarship semi-finalists and had six QuestBridge Match Finalists this year (another network record), with two students being matched! Amen was matched with Stanford and the other matched to Oberlin.
“This accomplishment is not solely by my own effort, and I would like to take some time to appreciate those who have worked seamlessly behind the scenes to contribute to my success. They worked seamlessly behind the scenes to contribute to my success,” Amen shared. “My gratitude is infinite, and these seeds of faith will sprout up just the same.”
Support through the college process is critical, and having dedicated counselors who know each student yields results that speak for themselves.