For years, Amanda Fitts was a math and psychology teacher before returning to graduate school for a master’s degree in counseling. Upon finishing the program, Fitts researched many different positions that involved working with students when the division of college and career caught her eye.

“I like to say that college and career counseling is the best-kept secret,” Fitts said. “It’s a very exciting and interesting and rewarding career. I’m always learning something new and I get to interact with students and help them with their futures.”

Now, as the new college and career counselor at Oak Park High School, Fitts’ job is to help students plan their lives after high school and navigate their futures. From her office in the College and Career Center, Fitts helps students explore options like attending a four-year college, community college or technical school, taking a gap year, entering the military or beginning an apprenticeship.

“I like to promote all sorts of different types of opportunities and make sure that students are aware of those different types of opportunities,” Fitts said. “Through individual student meetings, class presentations, Naviance presentations, parent-student informational nights, college fairs and all sorts of college and career-related events, I try to promote these opportunities and also just help students find the right fit for them.”

When Fitts was a high school student, she applied to two colleges, the ones she knew all of her friends were applying to. Though Fitts describes herself as “closed-minded” at the time, she also wasn’t exposed to anything different.

“Now that I am a college and career counselor and get to see so many types of schools, I could see myself at a different type of college,” Fitts said. “Although I really loved my college experience, I went to a really large public school and didn’t even give myself the opportunity for anything else. So I would advise that students consider all of their options.”