Michigan's AmeriCorps Member of the Month

AmeriCorps Member of the Month – Aedin Seck, March 2026: U of M College Advising Corps

Aedin Seck is completing her second year as an AmeriCorps members with the Michigan College Advising Corps. The Michigan College Advising Corps is a subgrantee of the MSU College Advising Corps.  These programs place recent graduates in Michigan high schools as full-time college advisers, fostering a college-going culture and improving post-secondary outcomes. These near-peer College Advisers assist high school students and their families with college searches, essay writing, SAT/ACT prep, college applications, FAFSA completion, scholarship searches, college visits, and successfully transitioning to post-secondary education, including four-year or two-year institutions and trade or technical schools.   

Aedin Seck is a University of Michigan graduate with a degree in Film and Screenwriting. She currently serves as a college adviser at Ottawa Hills High School in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she leverages her Center for Campus Involvement, programming background to help students connect with higher education opportunities. What makes Seck’s service distinctive is her intentional focus on impact.  Seck strategically designs events and programming to meet Ottawa Hills students where they are today while giving younger students more time to consider their options before senior year. According to Program Manager, Patrick Mullen-Coyoy, “Aedin has gone above and beyond to ensure the students she serves feel like they can make informed decisions about life after high school. Rather than recycling ideas of what has been done in the past, she made thoughtful changes to help students navigate their postsecondary options. For example, she changed the fall senior ‘bootcamp’ to ensure the focus is on decision-making rather than the number of applications submitted. She also made a change in programming focusing attention to a wider audience, like a sophomore career panel and created a school-wide career fair during conferences.”

Seck’s approach has yielded impressive results: in the past two years, she has met with 100% of her seniors 1:1, with 93% submitting college applications and 77% submitting the FAFSA last year. This year, she maintains some of the highest 1:1 and application numbers in the corps, and her site supervisor noted Ottawa Hills’ highest FAFSA completion rate in several years going into winter break. Beyond metrics, Seck’s success is reflected in her ability to unite counselors, staff, administrators, and community partners—from the Grand Rapids Promise Zone and GRPS Family & Community Engagement to the local career center—around a shared commitment to student success.

In addition to her adviser responsibilities, Seck serves as LeaderCorps representative for her program, acting as a liaison between the Michigan Community Service Commission and her cohort. She leads group projects and engages in professional development opportunities, further enriching her peers’ work. Her leadership and collaboration extend to her role with MCAC advisers, where she inspires others with her ability to translate programming fundamentals into “elevated visuals” that motivate students to pursue future self advancement.

Seck embodies the mission of AmeriCorps and MCAC through her creative leadership, commitment to teamwork, and relentless focus on helping her students chart a path to meaningful postsecondary possibilities.

For more information about the Michigan College Advising Corps, MSU College Advising Corps, and other Michigan’s AmeriCorps programs making a positive impact in communities across Michigan. For more information about AmeriCorps, visit www.americorps.gov.