A recruiter from Alaska Christian College, accompanied by a GILA alumni, is spending three days at our school telling students about her school in the college preparation and intro to occupations classes.

Liz Chase, admissions counselor at ACC, was also recruiting students for the Soldotna-based college during her visit from Jan. 20-23. Chase was accompanied by Galena graduate and current ACC student Cora Foster, class of 2013.

Chase said she focuses her recruiting efforts at GILA and Mount Edgecumbe High School in Sitka. “We find that those students are more disciplined, more dedicated to college,” she said.

The small Christian college currently has 59 students, offering associate degrees in paraprofessional education and Christian ministry, as well as a certificate in Biblical studies. In addition to Foster, two other Galena graduates, Kaylin Kopp and Carmen Williams, are attending the college.

Chase will also talk with students at Young Life and Campaigner club meetings this week.

Galena grad Cora Foster, from Buckland, returns to GILA to help high school students choose what to do following graduation.

“I want the students to be able to know what they want to be after high school,” Foster said.

Foster said she wants to work with children and teenagers after college graduation in Alaskan villages as a recruiter or youth pastor.

This is the third year in a row that Chase has visited GILA recruiting students.

She said her college has heavily recruited students from western Alaska, adding that her school can offer full scholarships for some applicants.

The associate degree in paraprofessional education allows students to get employment as a teacher’s aide, an important career choice for students from villages where the school is one of the most important employers, she said. “This sets you up to be a teacher.”

The associate degree in Christian ministry would allow a graduate to take a position as a youth pastor or church camp counselor, she said, adding that the degree could be used as a stepping stone for a counseling degree.

“We are a small college by design,” she said. “It’s not a place for everyone… but it’s an awesome place to start.”