Photo courtesy of sophomore reporter Erika Spargo

At San Luis Obispo High School, those who are interested in being involved with the local Cuesta College can get help from the Cuesta Liaison Counselor Mrs. Allyson Dexter. She can allow students to access Cuesta High School Enrichment opportunities, dual enrollment onboarding and registration, college and career pathway planning to maximize college credit attainment in high school, and support seniors with the Cuesta College Promise application process. Expressions talked to her to get more information.

Expressions: When did you begin working at SLOHS and where did you teach or counsel before that?

Cuesta Liaison Counselor Allyson Dexter: This is my 16th year as a counselor. My background has always been high school counseling. I used to work at a high school in San Diego, and then at Atascadero, and then I came here and I’ve been a counselor in San Luis Coastal District at San Luis Obispo High School and Morro bay High School for three years.

Expressions: What services do you offer to high school students?

Dexter: I mostly help students enroll in the programs that we have here. So there are the dual enrollment classes, which are college classes for all grades. I also assist students with the high school enrichment program and help students with the Cuesta promise application process, which allows students to go to Cuesta for two years, fee free. There’s a very specific and detailed application process that students go through, and I help them apply for it.

Expressions: What are dual-enrolled classes?

Dexter: Dual-enrolled classes are great for high schoolers. They are taught on the high school campus by high school instructors and they get both high school and college credit for the class. So for example, the environmental science class is being offered for the first time this year at SLOHS. It’s like taking AP environmental science, except you have guaranteed college credit and you don’t have to take the AP exam. The dual-enrolled classes we offer include auto shop, culinary arts, digital photography, computer science, metal shop, TV & video production, and more.

Expressions: What are the advantages and disadvantages of this program?

Dexter: Well, it advances students on their way towards college, whether it’s earning more college credits or earning credits toward a career pathway. Students who would like to advance to a college level but don’t have the freedom in their schedule to take classes at the community college can take this opportunity and earn college credit. But I also want to say that if you take these classes, you’re going to be earning a college grade, which means that if you’re not going to take the class seriously or you’ve struggled in the past, just know that this is a grade that is going to follow you into your higher education.

Expressions: What are the pros to attending local colleges like Cuesta?

Dexter: I am a firm believer in the benefits that community college has to offer. I myself went to a community college before transferring to a four year university, really out of the necessity of being cost effective. And now, community college is extremely cost effective with the California Promise grants available to California residents to attend a community college, free of cost for two years. I think back in the day, community college was thought to be more for the students who didn’t know what they wanted to do or didn’t have the grades to get into a four year college, and that’s not what it’s about now.