The Parent’s Board has announced that Allison Bly will fill Sandi Brod’s role at the College and Career Center starting May 1, completing the almost 10-month search for a replacement.

Bly served as a UC Berkeley Freshmen Application Reader for the 2010/2011, 2011/2012 and 2014/2015 admission cycles.

From September 2012 to August 2014, Bly worked as the College and Career Advisor at Dougherty Valley High School in San Ramon. She compared the school’s academic profile to PHS’, saying Dougherty Valley had “lots of support for the college process.”

One of Bly’s goals is to push for a more efficient use of technology in the College and Career Center. She discussed the possibility of extending the use of Naviance, including to sign up for college visits online.

Since August 2014, she has served as an independent college counselor.

At Dougherty Valley, she ran similar events to existing ones at PHS, such as case study sessions and career presentations. With the Regional Admissions Counselors of California Case Study event, she attempted to introduce students and parents to colleges they might not have heard of.

As a College and Career Advisor, she sought to ease the post-high school experience for both parents and students. She helped them search for schools that gave better financial aid offers and showed that there are options for students other than the top colleges.

Students do not have to take every AP, and they can decide to get a certificate and start work directly out of high school, Bly said. An important part of high school is to maintain mental and physical health.

“You don’t have to go to Stanford or an Ivy to have a successful life,” Bly said.