The Pennsylvania Department of Education revised the statewide graduation requirement (Act 158) to include postsecondary preparedness effective with the 2023 graduation class. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was adopted to mandate schools to provide the resources to assist students to meet academic standards leading to career and college readiness as part of the graduation requirement. This mandate increased the high school counselor's role to guide students in their career and academic pursuit effectively. High school counselors provide resources to assist students with college applications, financial aid workshops, and college and career fairs, as the services are beneficial in aiding students in their decision-making process. This study explored how high school counselors influence student awareness of postsecondary and career path options. This study will provide a broader look at the counselor caseload, education reforms, counselor development, and school resources that impact counselors' ability to provide quality counseling services. This narrative qualitative inquiry combined with semi-structured interviews with high school counselors allowed for a comprehensive analysis of how college and career pathways benefit the student. This study incorporated the data analysis using broadening, burrowing, and restoring the three analytical tools from Connelly and Clandinin (1990) led to four emergent themes: counselor influence, counselor caseload, education reforms, and counselor training. These findings may impact educational policymakers, school administrators, and counseling professionals by understanding high school counselors' pivotal role in shaping college and career pathways for students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]