It’s an exciting and stressful time for Utah’s high school juniors and seniors.

In lieu of state testing, all juniors will take the ACT, a curriculum-based exam that assesses their mastery of college readiness in a variety of topics. And seniors who have applied for college are beginning to hear whether they’ve been accepted.

In short, many of our kids are confronting their futures in very real ways. As someone who has spent years studying the impact of education (or lack thereof) on the people of this state, I can be rather passionate on this topic. Take, for example, the time I was working in my home office, and I heard the back door open. My son was literally tiptoeing as he brought someone into the house.

I heard him whisper, “Be super quiet. If my mom knows I have a friend over she’ll give you the third degree about your college plans and life goals and we’ll never get out of there!”

Which is exactly what happened.

I had to laugh because it’s true. I care about whether or not people have a plan for college. You see, the data doesn’t lie. College graduates earn more money, have greater job stability and satisfaction, are more likely to own homes, have stable marriages, live longer and contribute to their communities. I could go on. This is why I encourage any kid I can get to listen that higher education matters, especially because we need to do better here in the state of Utah. The primary challenge for educators and parents, therefore, is to encourage young women and men to make college a goal and help them obtain the necessary tools to succeed.

Thankfully, there’s a lot we can do. In one survey we conducted, 45 percent of our respondents cited “influence from family and friends” as a factor in attending college. This positive peer pressure can take many forms. First, talk finances, since this is the biggest obstacle cited by those who end up not attending or dropping out the first year. Encourage youth to start saving early, help them apply for financial aid (FAFSA can be daunting!), and go with them to visit a financial aid officer at the college(s) they want to attend.

Another way to show support is to keep an eye out for those who may be struggling socially or emotionally. A friend of mine noticed that her son’s best friend wasn’t attending classes regularly at the local college. She took him aside and discovered he struggled with depression, had fallen behind in school, and was going to lose his scholarship. His parents were angry and wanted him to drop out and get a job. My friend called the school and discovered there were other options. Together they wrote a letter explaining the situation and got his scholarship extended on probation. They also found out there were free tutors available who could help him get caught up. Four years later, this kid has an internship with a great startup that will hire him full-time when he graduates in May. He just needed support.

So, if there are high school juniors and seniors in your life, be bold and ask what their plans are for college and beyond. Be a cheerleader, a sounding board, a problem solver. The truth is you have more power than you think.