When you step into the College and Career Center (CCC) at Thousand Oaks High School, you’ll most likely be welcomed with a warm smile from Mary Ippolito, the College and Career Guidance Specialist.
Before coming to TOHS, Ippolito received a PhD from the University of Southern California, majoring in Sociology and specializing in Education.
“I was really interested in identifying cultural messaging in education and how students understand and make meaning out of their own education pathways,” Ippolito said. “I’m very passionate about making the transition into college and university smoother for students.”
While enrolled in graduate school at USC, Ippolito worked in the field of Academic Support, finding employment opportunities at numerous colleges and universities around Southern California. She’s worked for UCLA Athletics, Glendale Community College, Pierce College and the USC Writing Center.
After completing her studies, the perfect opportunity revealed itself to Ippolito when she saw that the CCC was hiring.
“My dissertation was on messages about college and career,” Ippolito said. “So I thought, ‘This is really related to my study’, so I applied, and that’s how I got here.”
The CCC is located in D2 and is a place for students to come in if they have questions about college applications, financial aid resources, scholarship information, work permits, or if they need information on joining a union or the military.
Since the 2023-2024 school year, Ippolito has been serving Lancers and assisting them as they plan for their future.
Ippolito has helped many students throughout her time at TOHS, but a proud moment for her was helping a student through a difficult Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process. Ippolito recalls sitting down with the student many times and trying to reach the FAFSA helpline, receiving no answer.
“The student was saying ‘This makes me not want to go to college’,” Ippolito said. “I was angry because I felt like this was all so complicated when it should’ve been easier for students.”
Despite continually hitting roadblocks, Ippolito and this student didn’t cease their efforts; eventually, it paid off.
“[The student] went to the FAFSA Help Nights and she kept trying and kept trying,” Ippolito said. “She was able to complete it and now she’s in her first year of college. I’ve heard that she’s doing very well and she’s joining a lot of social activities.”
Ippolito understands the importance of her role at TOHS because of her own “stressful” college application experience. She expressed gratitude for many figures in her life during that time, especially her high school English teacher.
“My English teacher, Mrs. Van Ackeren, was a huge influence on me,” Ippolito said. “I just thought she was so intelligent…so when I was writing my application, it was one of those things where I just wanted to make her proud.”
Despite Ippolito’s current work to decrease the amount of stress applications put on students, she admitted to putting a lot of pressure on herself while applying to colleges, but her hard work proved worth it when she opened the email with her acceptance letter to UCLA.
Ippolito recognizes the tendency to feel competitive when applying to colleges, considering there’s a limited number of spots for the thousands of applicants. However, one thing she believes would help the process and wishes for is more teamwork between students.
“I’d like more social support,” Ippolito said. “More camaraderie, even if you’re going to a different [college].”
With the stress that already comes with college applications, Ippolito believes that being supportive of one another can alleviate at least a little bit of that stress.
“The more teamwork, the better, in the college application process, so it doesn’t feel as lonely,” Ippolito said.
Ippolito hopes to continue helping students transition into their future after high school, utilizing the skills she was taught, and the attributes she saw in her role models as a student.
