Communities In Schools of Central Texas is proud to support the students, families, and staff of Akins High School!
Ms. Asia Eblen - asia.eblen@austinisd.org
At Communities In Schools of Central Texas, our mission is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. We partner with K-12 schools to provide a full-time Communities In Schools staff person to work with students directly on campus, or remotely when campuses are closed.
We know that when students are hungry, tired, or preoccupied with worry, they cannot focus on learning. For students dealing with bullying, the effects of trauma, poverty, and other challenges, sometimes just showing up for a class can be overwhelming.
This is where Communities In Schools comes in to complement the good work teachers and administrators are already doing. Our school-based staff work in partnership with teachers and school administration to identify and address challenges students face in school or at home. These may range from immediate needs like clothing and food to more complex needs like counseling and mentoring.
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Communities In Schools Services At Akins High School Include:
- In-person & virtual services available tailored to each student and family's needs
- Basic needs assistance for students & their families
- Re-engagement support to help students transition into virtual or in-person learning.
- Individual counseling services - focus on 9th & 10th-grade students
- Group counseling services including 9th & 10th-grade transition support & healthy relationship development.
- Male & Female support groups (Healthy Relationships; Girls Empowerment Network)
- Opportunity for family involvement through school-wide events, parent support groups, and individualized family engagement opportunities
- Mentorship and Tutoring through our exclusive CIS volunteer program.
- Academic & Attendance monitoring for students through weekly/monthly checkpoints
- College & Career Exploration
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Contact:
Asia Eblen
Program Manager @ Akins High School
Communities In Schools of Central Texas
Office: (512)841-9720
Office Hours:
Monday-Friday 8:45 am to 4:45 pm
Biography of Ms. Asia Eblen
I was born in Lawton, Oklahoma, but I moved to Austin, Texas when I was four years old. I have been here ever since. I graduated from Akins High School in 2014 and went on to get my bachelor’s degree at Texas State University. I went in as a business major and soon learned that it wasn’t for me. I got introduced to therapy while I was in school and wanted to do what my therapist did for me for someone else, so I changed my major to Psychology. While I was in my intro to psychology class, I was taking an intro to social work class. It was clear to me that I lacked interest in the science part of psych and loved the overall concept of social work. That’s how I discovered I was meant to be in the social work field and changed my major again. I graduated in December of 2019 with my bachelor’s in social work. Shortly after, I got a job with Communities in Schools (CIS) at Kealing Middle School as the SmartKids Coordinator. In that position, I specifically worked with students who lived in public housing on the east side of Austin at Booker T. Washington Apartments and Rosewood Apartments. I had my own caseload that I worked with individually while I was on campus and ran an after-school program working with ages K-12th grade. In the after-school program, we taught the students self-efficacy. I was in that position for 3 years and got hired as the program manager here at Akins on November 30th, 2022.
I grasped my love for working with kids after my internship with CIS at McCormick Middle School. I always told myself that I didn’t want to work with kids, so I tried it and ended up falling in love. I enjoy how every student is different and comes with a variety of experiences. I am excited to work with so many students to help them achieve their goals inside and outside of school. I want to help guide them through it and provide that support needed and a safe space for them. That is what I strive for.
Thank you for allowing me the privilege to offer kindness to the community at Akins!
I look forward to working with everyone and continuing this great partnership as much as possible at Akins High School. My current and most up-to-date contact information is provided above, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if needed. Thank you!