Our New Titan, Mrs. Benefiel
This school year Olympia saw some changes to the College and Career Center. For one, we have recently welcomed a new staff member– our College and Career counselor, Mrs. Donna Benefiel. With Mrs. Benefiel’s current involvement on Olympia’s campus, the College and Career Center has allowed many seniors to navigate the college application process with much more ease. For many students, this is a new and scary process as it marks the next step in their future as a young adult. The center is open almost everyday for students to receive help in editing their college essays, receiving help with financial aid, and discussing future plans.
She has been working with students for many years, however, her experience isn’t limited to just working with seniors. She has been involved with connecting freshmen to colleges such as Morehouse, an all men’s college and a notable HBCU (Historically Black College and University) located in Atlanta, Georgia. With Morehouse, she has been able to collaborate through Zoom calls with Morehouse staff about what the college offers future students.
What’s new in the CCRC?
The college and career center has been also holding college visit events with admission counselors from various colleges. Students have a chance to talk to representatives from these colleges and inquire about the admissions processes of these various colleges and learn about the financial opportunities that the colleges offer. You can also receive more updates related to college information and resources from our College and Career Center from their Instagram, @olympia_ccrc and from the weekly emails that Mrs. Benefiel sends out to the student body.
Seeking Scholarships?
Another example of an event that the College and Career center has held would be the college application and scholarship essay workshops. These workshops are held at least once a month and they allow students to receive personalized feedback about their college application essays and scholarship information.
APEX College and Career event
On October 7, 2025, the College and Career Center held an APEX college event in the media center, where the APEX seniors were able to meet with their classmates and teachers to get some guidance on connecting their Common Application to Xello platform, finding and filling out financial aid options, like FAFSA, and receiving personalized feedback on their essays. Each of these students were divided into three large groups and were allowed to rotate through the following stations: essay editing station, led by Mr. Pearl, financial aid help station, led by Mrs. Benefiel, and the Xello navigation station, led by Mrs. Phillips. Each group rotated to each station every 15 to 20 minutes with their friends and completed the activities related to that station.
With the recent changes related to the College and Career Center our students have really seen the benefit. Students, especially the current seniors, have been able to set up their options for their future and to proceed confidently with the help of Mrs. Benefiel and other staff members.
