Let’s Not Get It Twisted

This article first appeared on LinkedIn on October 22, 2018.

How was your weekend? College essay reviews, a trip to the veterinarian and laundry filled my weekend, but this little thing also happened. Interviewed by a reporter from The NY Times about the lawsuit against Harvard, I had a small quote in this article. Haven’t heard about this lawsuit? Google it!

For more than 30 years, the kids in the East Providence Public Schools (Rhode Island) were my kids, first as a middle and high school Social Studies teacher, then as a professional school counselor. During those school counseling years, I encouraged my seniors to cast a wide net when applying to colleges. We have wonderful colleges in New England, ranging from two-year community colleges to the Ivy League. My mission then and now, in North Carolina and nationally, focuses on helping students create a list of colleges meeting their needs academically, socially and increasingly, financially, which brings me back to the aforementioned article.

So, here’s where I don’t want it to get twisted. All of my kids (including some young adults who might not appreciate the label kid) receive encouragement and recommendations from me to look beyond the schools whose names come readily to the tips of their tongues. There are too many fine institutions in our country and abroad for students to be stuck on a few. In our discussions, if there is a piece of information I feel adds to the value of our conversations, we will chat about it. In this case, I’d have to be living under a rock in the mantle of the Earth (knowledge left over from teaching Geography to 7th graders) to not know about this current lawsuit. My opinion about the pros and cons aren’t at issue here; what is at issue is making sure I’m doing right by my kids and sometimes, that means having difficult conversations about perceptions. 

One by-product of my foray into speaking with a reporter is an increase in invitations to connect on LinkedIn. If you don’t know me and we haven’t met, you have to give me a little more than an impersonal invitation. And please remember, my kids apply to an array of post-secondary institutions. 

Like the rest of my colleagues, I am following this court case because it affects my kids now and may very well affect their futures. “Helping families eliminate random acts of college planning” is my purpose. Like to connect on LinkedIn? Tell me why.

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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?

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