Milan Hamilton, the career and college advisor for Riverside for the 2020-21 school year is ready for whatever the world throws at her.
Hamilton was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. She said that Dallas and Durham were very similar, except for a few details.
“There’s way more trees here,” she said jokingly.
After studying dance in high school, Hamilton went to Duke and studied psychology, education, and child policy research. She graduated in May and is planning to be a career and college advisor for two years.
“Growing up, I had a life of privilege and had great support. I wanted to make [education] more equitable for the next generation,” she said.
Hamilton highlighted that the small age gap between herself and students helps her better communicate and understand what juniors and seniors need. Since her training was finishing in the first months of 2020, she was prepared for the online setting. Even so, she still had difficulty acclimating to this new reality.
“I’m having to re-figure out my role in the school,” she said.
She also didn’t know what to expect regarding student engagement. Hamilton has done her best to attract student interest by creating a website, as well as creating times for one on one meetings, various workshops, college student panels and more.
Considering COVID-19, Hamilton says that she has had great turnout when it came to meeting with students, especially considering that the students are the one scheduling the appointments.
Hamilton has also made scheduling virtual college visits a priority, as prospective students can no longer visit campuses.
“This time gives us a better opportunity to have virtual sessions,” said Principal Tonya Williams-Leathers, “I’m pretty excited about Ms. Hamilton’s energy, and I think she will fill Mr. Grant’s shoes well.”
