Melanie Watts

Placed at Westland High School, supporting students in grades 9–12 with personalized guidance and advocacy, encouraging them to believe in their potential and pursue their goals. Provide career education and advise students on how their high school choices impact post-graduation opportunities. For juniors and seniors, assist with SAT/ACT preparation, test registration, and the entire college application process, including direct and Common App applications, scholarships, and enrollment. Also support students interested in trade programs, helping them explore and plan career paths in skilled trades. In addition, I plan college rep visits and campus tours to expose students as well as career educators to help students explore,

Represented the college across a designated territory of 46 schools, delivering admissions presentations to classrooms and large groups, leading campus tours, and engaging individually with counselors and prospective students. Guided students through major selection, financial aid options, and placement resources, supporting them from application submission through orientation.

Collaborated with a team to design and implement the Columbus Promise (CP) Program, fostering strong communication and gathering critical input from campus partners. Enhanced expertise in academic advising within Business, Engineering, and Technical programs through targeted training. Represented CP at college Open Houses and press briefings, and conducted high school visits to recruit and inform prospective Promise students. Organized CP Scholars orientations and supported students in first-term course scheduling. Initiated a partnership with the Partnerships and Programs office to create work-study and apprenticeship opportunities for students in Business, IT, Engineering, and Automotive fields.

Delivered comprehensive case management and academic advising to certificate-seeking students from the high school classes of 2020 and 2021, guiding them through recruitment, application, registration, and successful progression across two semesters at Columbus State. Collaborated with a team to design and launch this new, targeted support program.

Executed diverse administrative and office management tasks for TRIO Programs, including Upward Bound, Educational Talent Search, and Student Support Services. Provided comprehensive support to three program supervisors and the TRIO Director. Responsibilities included coordinating mailings, handling phone inquiries, managing contracts and forms via DocuSign, ensuring records retention in the Document Management System (DMS), and generating reports through Blumen, including assisting with Annual Performance Reports (APR). Worked directly with students in the office and served as a chaperone for college tours and events.

Processed donations and maintained donor records using Donor Connect software, while performing a range of administrative tasks, including calls, emails, and purchase orders. Supported the Director of Advancement with list preparation for electronic mailings (Vertical Response), mail merges, monthly audits, and capital campaign tracking. Coordinated pledge reminders and organized fundraisers and alumni relations efforts. Managed a student-led fundraiser, overseeing communications, donation processing, and reward tracking for participants.