Blog

Tea Time and Traditions: Sweet Tea 2015

This article first appeared in the September 2015 issue of Southern Scope, the newsletter of the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling (SACAC). Forty-two hardy school counselors and independent educational

June 27, 2016

Travel time with HECA: Rhode Island and Johnson & Wales

It’s always a joy for me to return home, to the place where one of my earliest memories is getting my first library card and experiencing the excitement of knowing

June 20, 2016

C- STEP offers transfer to Chapel Hill

Many students transfer from community colleges to four-year colleges and universities. Inside Higher Ed reports approximately 20% of community college students successfully transfer to institutions of higher education. Students beginning their

June 13, 2016

Redesigned SAT Coming

Do you know the College Board is redesigning the SAT? Spring 2016 marks the unveiling of a SAT that looks radically different from the current version. Beginning with the class of

June 6, 2016

Read, Explore, Engage

This article appeared in the November 2014 issue of Women’s View . College ready, career ready, same preparation, right? Not necessarily. No matter what post-secondary pathway you take, (a four year

May 23, 2016

A fatherless daughter responds

I grew up without a father. I knew his name, I had an old photo (until I lost it), and I knew he served in the Air Force, but I

May 16, 2016

May 2021 Update

Professional development continues to be a major factor in my work life. With physical visits to campuses curtailed during 2020 (most are re-opening for in-person visits), I spend about 7 -10 hours per week on virtual visits with college admission counselors. The IECA, one of my professional organizations, regularly conducts College Conversations, an hour-long presentation with time built in for Q & A. To date, members of IECA had sessions with the colleges on the chart. Additionally, I added to this list by facilitating sessions in my capacity as the college counselor for the Montessori School of Raleigh where, along with the students, we learned more about UNC Charlotte, UNC Wilmington, the College of Wooster, Queens University of Charlotte, Muhlenberg, Elon, Western Carolina, North Carolina Central, the University of Alabama and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Did you know UNC Wilmington has a major in Coastal Engineering or that Western Carolina (along with UNC Pembroke and Elizabeth City State) is a NC Promise institution? A NC Promise school’s in-state tuition is $500 while non-residents pay $2500 per semester.

Our virtual world allows for hours upon hours of accessible college information sessions. I had to step back and limit myself to a reasonable number of hours of “college visits”.

I challenge my students regularly to move beyond their comfort zone and during the height of the pandemic, I stretched myself way beyond my level of comfort. I am one of 14 co-authors of Becoming The Shero, an anthology depicting the journeys of entrepreneurs at different stages of their lives. My story is in the Embracing the Pivot section.

Another way I stay current is through my new position at Providence College. As of August 2020, I am the College Supervisor for the School Counseling Program. What does the college supervisor do? I supervise the students in the program during their 2-semester internship at a school, where they are directly supervised by their Site Supervisor, a certified professional school counselor. It is the student teaching equivalent for school counseling.

Reading is a daily pleasure for me. Here are nine books (not in chronological order) that helped me to educate myself about current events and issues of social justice:

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents ~ Isabel Wilkerson
How to Be An Anti-Racist ~ Ibram X. Kendi
Stamped From The Beginning ~ Ibram X. Kendi
I’m Still Here ~ Austin Channing Brown
The Color Of Law ~ Richard Rothstein
We Want To Do More Than Survive ~ Bettina Love
Down Along With That Devil’s Bones ~ Connor Towne O’Neill
Interrupting Racism: Equity and Social Justice in School Counseling ~ Rebecca Atkins & Alicia Oglesby
Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race ~ Beverly Daniel Tatum, Ph.D.

To stay up-to-date on trends in college, career and paying for college, see my list of books under the “Parent Resources” tab.

I challenge my students to be lifelong readers. I am practicing what I preach. What are you reading today?