Senior year can feel like a tightrope walk—students balancing deadlines, dreams, and shifting circumstances while we, as counselors, try to steady the line beneath them. 

We’ve all been there: investing in their post-secondary ambitions, dreaming alongside them, and wanting their success almost as much as they do - only to watch those plans wobble or fall. Whether it’s a missed deadline or a change in circumstances, these moments can feel discouraging. Yet, as counselors, our role is not to mourn the missteps but to help students regain balance and find their footing again. Deadlines and shifting plans are part of the journey, but they don’t define a student’s future. Our responsibility is to serve as guides, not gatekeepers, reminding students that setbacks are temporary and resilience—not perfection—is what carries them forward.