About

THE VISION

Our mission is: To provide individuals or families with current, quality resources and strategies for high school to college success.

UnMazed began as a part of the doctoral work of the founder, Amanda Sterk. While working as a full time college and career counselor, Amanda looked for a "one stop shop" to which she could point students and parents who had questions about the high school to college process; such as academic skills, social and emotional support, college and career exploration, and overall student success. Dr. Sterk's mission is twofold; 1) to help parents and students navigate the transition from high school to college with ease and 2) collaborate with educational experts to provide current, quality, relevant information to those who need it. UnMazed exists to create a comprehensive, user-friendly destination for anyone looking for guidance through the high school to college process.

COLLABORATORS

UnMazed partners with both professionals and participants in the fields of education and career pathways, bringing a wealth of expertise and a freshness of experience to its community pages so that a great many voices and perspectives can provide us all a richer understanding of the challenges facing high school students, parents, and professionals today.

THE PEOPLE

Amanda is the Director of Accelerated Programs at Florida Southwestern State College, where she works with students, parents, school counselors, and school districts to understand and participate in accelerated learning programs in SW Florida. She is currently an adjunct professor for the SLS 1515 course, that transitions students into a college environment. After 17 years in education, she brings her passion for helping individuals realize their full potential through strategic planning and reflective growth. Her responsibilities include content creation, presentation, and collaborator relations.

HER CURRENT PROJECTS INCLUDE:

FutureMakers Coalition Guiding Team

Florida Alliance of Dual Enrollment Partnerships- President Elect

Florida School Counselor Association, College & Career Readiness Committee

Southern Association of College Admission Counseling, Blogger

SW Florida Parent & Child Magazine- Expert Spotlight

C'reer App, National Advisory Board

Building College Readiness: Growth Before Grades State Conference

College Preparedness and Transformational Teaching Strategies: A Case Study of Success for Early Colleges- Dissertation Study

High School Students with College Degrees: Barriers, Implications, and the Way Forward- Current Study in Collaboration with Florida Atlantic University

FEATURED

News Press

The Corridor

SW Florida Parent & Child

South Association for College Admission Counseling

Dr. Amanda Sterk, Founder & Director, College and Career Counselor

Sep 4, 2019

UnMazed Magazine: Teen's Guide to Academic Success

This month’s edition focuses on A Teen’s Guide to Academic Success! Topics range from study tips and organization, academic and student factors for college admissions, global awareness and fake news, to self-discovery.

Aug 25, 2019

Letters of Recommendation

Many post-secondary options, including colleges, vocational schools, and employment require some form of a recommendation letter. How can students learn to obtain a proper recommendation?

Aug 18, 2019

3 Key Steps to a GREAT College Application

College admissions is a very competitive process. You are competing with students from all over the state and even the country to gain entrance into your first choice. How do you stand out? What will set you apart?

Aug 2, 2019

The Lost Skills of Teens Today

As another group of young millennials are heading off into the workforce, there are a few traditional skills I’m afraid they’ve never acquired. These are skills that might seem archaic to young people who are quite adept at navigating a digital world.

Jul 28, 2019

Books You Need: School Counselor Side Hustle

As you all know if you are reading this, UnMaze.Me is my side hustle. While not my intention at the beginning, it started as a way for me to provide information to my students and their parents through a question and answer blog. I never intended to write a book, create a magazine, and have online classes.

May 20, 2019

Parenting Teens with a Part-Time Job

Summer jobs are great opportunities. Teens gain work experience and are able to add income that can pay for many of their own expenses. They also gain life experience in those jobs… Few parents, though, typically know much about their teen's adult supervisors or coworkers.

Mar 26, 2019

5 Ways to Alleviate Test Anxiety

So, you find yourself prepared to take a test and just at the start of the exam, you draw a complete blank. Your heart begins to race, and you cannot think straight. All you feel is panic as you feel the pressure to succeed.

Feb 28, 2019

International Baccalaureate: A School Counselor's Prospective

What are the benefits of IB? Is it worth it? Students have consistently returned to say it was hard, but it was most definitely worth it.

Feb 24, 2019

Homeschool Hybrid- Having Your Cake and Eating It Too

Many families today are looking for educational flexibility when it comes to their student’s learning for a variety of reasons. While many are interested in homeschooling their students, they can quickly become intimidated by certain subject topics, keeping their child busy, or ensuring they have the college-readiness skills to be successful in their post-secondary endeavors.

Mar 30, 2019

He can be a UF Gator- But There's a Catch

My main question is: My son got into UF but there is a catch. He received admissions to the Gator Engineering at Santa Fe and we don’t know what to do.

Feb 18, 2019

Dual Enrollment: Student Questions Answered

As director of a dual enrollment program for a Florida state college and a former school counselor for an early college/ collegiate program, I receive a lot of questions from parents and students interested about the dual enrollment process. In one presentation, these were questions students had written down for me to answer.

Jan 13, 2019

Bright Futures & Direct Entry & 3/2 Programs

Many universities provide “Direct Entry” or “Accelerated” programs that often bypass a highly competitive “limited access” program.

Dec 18, 2018

HELP! Not Meeting SAT Bright Futures

My daughter is creeping along slowly in her SAT attempts, this was her third attempt and each time she goes up by 30 points. She is so close to the SAT required for Florida Medallion and is miles ahead in her GPA and Service Hours, she simply doesn't test well.

Aug 31, 2018

Should I Be Worried About College in Middle School?

Great questions. Academic planning does need to be addressed early on in your high school career, even as early as middle school. The earlier the start the better. I have worked with too many parents and students who simply did not about certain programs that could have been a fit for them to advance in their academic/ career path while still in school- which could results in thousands of dollars saved in free college tuition or industry certifications.

Jun 13, 2018

AP's or Dual Enrollment? What is Best?

My daughter is going to be a junior in the fall and has taken rigorous courses to date. This summer she is taking philosophy and theater appreciation at PBSC. Are these good electives ? She has taken 3 APs so far and is taking 5 APs in the fall. Is it prefable to colleges if Dual enrollment is at PBSC or FAU?