alicia archie mcmillan, class president and a member of the honor society. these two at west charlotte high in north carolina are high achievers. but like many of their peers, they had no strategy for how to excel beyond high school, until they got help from a unique program that puts young people from low income families on a college track. >> we're going to make sure we get those filled out correctly. >> reporter: portia newman is part of the national college advising corps. less than a year out of the university of north carolina, she's back in high school, now working as a college counselor. >> i'm trying to figure out a new way to connect to these young people and it's been -- it's been a journey, but i've loved every bit of it. >> reporter: the need for more full-time counselors in high schools is enormous. according to the department of education, nationwide there is one guidance counselor for every 457 students, which means on average, kids get 20 minutes of counseling a year. newman is giving kids a lot more than that, pulling them aside in the cour