Sarah Jane Gibbons — Millennium Brooklyn High School (NY)
Nominated by Christopher Muñoz-Calene of Clark University

As she advises and guides students through the college search and admission process, Sarah Jane is intensely focused on empowering them to find their best learning and living community.  She enthusiastically coaches them to discover what they truly value and hope for from their post-secondary experience. They become experts at translating facts and statistics from brochures and presentations with Sarah Jane’s wise counsel. She role models self-advocacy in the search process and students learn quickly how to navigate to the information they really need.

Year after year she is excited to work with students as they navigate it all, helping them to learn more about themselves as they find the places and spaces that will challenge and support them and their goals. Sarah Jane keeps up with alumni, sharing their progress with her school’s administration and the admissions officers who visit each year.

She uses alumni stories to empower and educate the next generation of college bound scholars and changemakers; she encourages admission officers to do the same. Sarah Jane takes the time to update all stakeholders to sustain a college going culture and to create networks of support. She is a trusted advisor and mentor whose feedback is welcomed and valued by both those she counsels and other college access professionals.

Chris Miller — Sandy Spring Friends School (MD)
Nominated by Philippa Roberts of Eckerd College

Early in the college search process, Chris collaborates with his students to identify and prioritize what factors, criteria, values, programs, co-curricular opportunities, outcomes, and campus personalities matter the most. After they’ve partnered to curate an initial list of institutions that interest them, he challenges students to pinpoint why exactly each institution might be a good match. They create their own personalized rankings to use as they are researching and evaluating potential fit. Chris recognizes that students have thousands of options, and he uplifts their power to choose. He does a fantastic job of advising parents and families on both concepts.

An enthusiastic advisor, mentor, and coach, Chris practices whole-student college counseling. He treasures origin stories and lived experiences, affirms student’s identities, keeps up with what’s going on in their daily lives, intentionally checks-in on a regular basis, monitors their stress levels, celebrates academic and personal milestones, and is truly present and available. His relationships with them are rooted in mutual respect and authentic connection: students trust him because they know he deeply cares and sees them as completely unique individuals. Chris really knows them and represents them and their interests thoroughly and honestly from search to decision. Admission counselors trust his recommendations and advocacy. Chris’s service to the college admission profession via several counselor advisory boards, regional and national organizations, and access and advocacy initiatives makes him a true leader in the field.

Melanie Onufrieff — Deerfield Academy (MA)
Nominated by Erin Hutchinson of Earlham College

When students come to Melanie as juniors new to her caseload, they are laser-focused on college. She doesn’t start talking to them about college until she first spends a substantial amount of time getting to know them and helping them to get to know themselves. She does a wonderful job of reframing the college search as one that highlights the individual student as the prize a college should be seeking, rather than the college as the prize that the student is seeking.

Melanie is able to see the strengths in every student and bring those out into the light, giving the student an opportunity to see themselves in a new light. She makes it very clear to every student that they are special and more than enough, just as they are, regardless of college outcomes. She helps them realize that they deserve more than just a school with high rankings, they deserve a school that will celebrate and nurture them as they continue to grow. Melanie is all about affirming and empowering students. She is their lifelong champion and cheerleader for life.

M.L. Weber — Freedom Preparatory Academy (TN)
Nominated by Zoe Scott, formerly of Rhodes College

M.L. Web works closely with her mostly first-generation college bound students from limited income backgrounds to name and face the fears they have about the college experience and then together they flip the narrative that tells them they aren’t ready or capable. M.L. approaches them and college counseling from a strengths outlook, challenging the deficit mindset as they make their way from prospective college student to first year – and beyond – undergraduate.

While she helps her students uncover and understand what matters most to them about their college experience, she encourages them to consider the level of support they think they will seek out and how to assess whether or not a particular post-secondary community can provide that. M.L. reminds them that they will find advisors, mentors, and resources that will support them. She reaches out to alumni to underscore these messages and serve as a chosen, extended family.  M.L. recognizes the power of near peer networking, the importance of creating generational connections, and teaching self-advocacy.

With her guidance, students quickly learn that they belong at the center of the college search and that their values and wish lists drive it. She regularly chaperones weekend campus visits for groups of students, believing it is a terrific learning lab for the college admission process. Students are encouraged to connect with their admission counselors, ask all of their questions, and remember that they are not going through this process alone.

Christopher Wolf — Nicholas Senn HIgh School (IL)
Nominated by Thea Clarkberg of Earlham College

Chris and his extensive, innovative college counseling programming encourage students to look at a wide variety of schools. They are inspired by his enthusiastic recommendations to discover and research all different types of colleges and universities in lots of geographic locations; institutions that are less well-known, schools with quirky personalities, places that offer uncommon academic options and co-curricular activities. Chris looks past the traditionally published rankings to help students construct their own rubrics. Over the years students have explored and found their way to an impressive, diverse assortment of schools.

Chris believes that helping students find their best match means finding the institutions that will provide the support and community they need to be successful, from their first semester through their post-graduate lives. He focuses on a fit-first philosophy and celebrating all choices. His attitude and approach open students’ minds, reinforcing the belief that they will find their next best homes. Students entrust him with their histories and journeys, which he uplifts, honors, and learns from.

They understand how invested he is in their success. He shows up for them as a college advisor, English teacher, and cross country coach: they show up in impressive numbers at the events he coordinates throughout the year. Chris is also deeply committed to connecting and partnering with admission professionals, colleges, and universities to better serve students.

Rose Yackley — Achieve Twin Cities – Humboldt High School (MN)
Nominated by Shannon Cron of St. Olaf College

Rose creates super engaging content and supportive spaces for all students to explore their post-secondary options. Incredibly affirming and enthusiastic, she truly cares about each student as an individual; her patience and keen listening skills make it possible for her to meet each student where they are. She is endlessly supportive, helping students understand how to apply the skills gained during the college search process in other areas of their lives.

Rose’s nominator shared that “students light up when they work with her because they feel seen and less stressed about all the uncertainty of the admission process.” Rose has a robust sense of humor and believes in sharing laughter and joy with her students and colleagues. She shows up for her students and honors their lived experiences, reminding them there is strength in what they have walked through.

Rose teaches students how to confidently ask direct questions to get the information they need to make informed decisions. They learn how to reflect on why they want to attend college, their individual interests, and non-negotiables. She introduces them to different types of schools, encouraging them to think critically about how their needs and goals would be addressed and supported.

Frank Branch — Jim Hill High School (MS)
Nominated by Susan Margaret Barrett of Millsaps College

Major Frank Branch (Retired) believes preparation is the foundation for success and he coaches his students to start that preparation as early as they can in their educational careers. He is a standout role model for them and the elementary and middle school students he inspires as a mentor and health and wellness program coordinator. He chairs several scholarship and community-based education awareness efforts to support as many students as possible on the road to college. Every August he facilitates a college planning series that includes an orientation and a goal-setting workshop to launch students into college admission and financial aid journeys. He empowers his advisees through intrusive intervention, pushing them to look beyond their comfort zones for the greater opportunities and options he knows they deserve. Frank believes in them until they can believe in themselves. His kinetic optimism motivates and uplifts the students and colleges to which they are introduced; it fuels his drive to get them to recognize the potential, talent, and tremendous impact they can have on their communities and world.

Randy Fong — Sacred Hearts Academy (HI)
Nominated by Jenna Sciarrino of Saint Mary’s College of California 

Adjusting back to in-person learning has been easier to navigate because of the care of Sacred Hearts counselor, Randy Fong. Randy always goes above and beyond for his students and their families, many of whom come from Native Hawaiian and limited income communities. For over 20 years, he’s shepherded his students through the college admissions process with his trademark sense of humor and beaming smile. Almost every year he coordinates an extensive trip for students to visit schools on the mainland to introduce them to the diversity of their college options. Randy knows that sometimes students need to see themselves on a campus before they can claim their space on a college campus. He guides students to those college communities that will celebrate them as individuals by supporting and challenging them. His lived commitment to help each student discover their “reason why”, what they value, and what’s best for them is unparalleled. Randy and his work reflect the spirit of service, community, and family that defines the charism of the religious order that founded Sacred Hearts Academy.

Jessica Hardy — St. George’s Independent School (TN)
Nominated by Megan Starling of Rhodes College

Her nominator said that Jessica came to mind as a standout for the CTCL Counselors That Change Lives award in large part because of how she contributes to a student-centered college search in her many roles OUTSIDE of St. George’s. She strives to spend much of her “free” time in service to students across the region but also to enhance her own expertise. She is active as a Board Director for the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling and has organized and facilitated several college admission camps. As a leader with the National Association for College Admission Counseling Memphis College Fair, Jessica directed a group of college and high school counselors to plan, advertise, and execute a College Fair that invited students from Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi.

Under her leadership, the event coordinators secured financial grants to sponsor the participation of several Historically Black Colleges and Universities. They increased attendance from rural schools in Arkansas and Mississippi and also expanded the number of Memphis public schools that use buses to come during the day. Her nominator also commented that it’s easy for Jessica to help students see beyond the “bumper sticker” schools because she can provide examples from her own undergraduate experience at a small liberal arts college.  And because she is fortunate to have the time to get to know her students personally through college appointments, mentorship through clubs, and an advisory cohort, she focuses on helping students get to know themselves first and then works closely with them to determine what kind of school will serve them best.

Patty Hart — HighSight (IL)
Nominated by Dave Wagner and Seda Bagiryan of St. Olaf College 

Patty sees students as whole people. She honors students for who they are, she sees what they need, and she works tirelessly to make sure that they find institutions that will nurture their potential and help them grow. She consistently goes above and beyond to serve her students: She knows them incredibly well and is focused on helping each individual student intentionally find a school that is a good match for them. Patty always thinks about what the best-case scenario for her students would be—expertly balancing and matching students’ wish lists, options, and financial realities when curating lists of schools to apply to and guiding them through the admission process. A college admission counseling leader in Chicago and the entire Midwest, she is respected by students, parents, college representatives, counselors, and other CBO leaders. Patty maintains intentional relationships with admissions officers in order to help her students stay on track and college bound. And she forms lifelong connections with her advisees: She counsels them through the critical transition to college and then frequently checks in with them, identifying resources as needed to support their continued progress all the way to degree completion.

William Kibler — Cesar Chavez High School (AZ)
Nominated by Annie Murphy of Centre College

William Kibler’s mission is to ensure his students know about higher education options beyond their backyard. His faculty bio says he is focused on preparing students for college, career, and life. He is fiercely committed to creating and sustaining a college-going culture in a school community where most students are first-generation college bound from historically excluded and limited income backgrounds. While he teaches a full array of AP social studies courses and coaches the Academic Decathlon team, he motivates and encourages post-secondary dreams by creating spaces for their confidence, dreams, and world view to grow. He regularly offers students personalized and aspirational guidance, introducing them to a variety of liberal arts colleges and the financial aid options that make them within reach. William opens his classroom to college admission counselors, prepares students for interviews, and edits résumés that really highlight students’ generational and cultural strengths. He identifies and connects with schools that will care about his students—places that will see them as individuals with unique and sometimes complicated histories. And then he gets his students in front of those schools by arranging transportation to college fairs, setting up school day meetings with admission officers, and introducing them to competitive scholarships. William strives to launch his students and families into futures they could not have imagined for themselves.

Gabrielle Matthews — College Advising Corps (Boston University) for Community Academy of Science and Health
Nominated by Rhea Bennett of Clark University 

After pursuing an undergraduate major in community building for social change, Gabi embraced introducing students to how they could benefit from the transformative power of higher education. She remains passionate about college access and admission counseling work because she believes that all students deserve the chance to pursue their college degrees. Intensely focused on each individual student as well as keen to honor their personal history and unique journeys, she provides the tools and knowledge for students to develop and execute their own college admissions plans. Gabi offers her counselees a full range of programming on topics ranging from career and major exploration to scholarship resources and self-advocacy throughout the admission and financial aid process. Because she recognizes that so many of her first-generation students may not know how to get conversations started, she even provides scripts for them, so they feel confident asking questions and following up. She practices intrusive intervention, serving as a role model and guide. Gabi knows that building and maintaining strong working relationships with students and families is critical: she happily shares her educational experiences so that students feel comfortable sharing their dreams and goals. During the COVID pandemic, she quickly moved to using various platforms in creative ways to make sure her students stayed connected and on track in a virtual environment. Gabi took being “student-centered” to a whole other level!

Delia Olmos-Garcia — Willamette Academy (OR)
Nominated by Karla Gutierrez-Hernandez of Willamette University

As the Program Director for an out-of-school college access program housed on the Willamette University campus, Delia devotes herself to creating and sustaining  collaborative relationships with school counselors, students, program alumni, and families. She understands that this network of relationships will empower students who may not see themselves as college bound and help them to directly address the real and perceived barriers they face. Delia knows that former program participants can inspire and uplift current ones and help them envision success in a college environment. Because she recognizes the power of this peer-to-peer guidance, she charges program alumni with facilitating workshops and serving as mentors. This world changer knows that creating community is critical, especially for students who are mostly from populations that are historically excluded in higher education. While Delia and her team deliver timely sessions on all the transactional things program participants need to know about how to get to college, they are also engaging them in conversation and experiential learning around social justice, equity, and access. Students become more equipped to navigate the challenges the application process and college experience may bring. As a result, students grow more confident, self-aware, and prepared to do well at the four-year college or university of their choice.

Pedro Zuniga — Gear UP at Harlingen High School (TX)
Nominated by Andres Vasquez of Austin College

Pedro Zuniga is a life coach, cheerleader, academic advisor, career counselor and college admission guide for his students. Because he is so deeply personally invested in helping them discover their interests and shape their post-secondary educational and career goals, he actively recruits community members and professionals to share their experiences and advice with them. Pedro is a champion networker who devotes an incredible amount of time and energy to outreach efforts that connect students to what is possible with higher education. He is driven to help his students look beyond just getting a degree and a job—to help them plan for a lifetime of engaged learning and a meaningful vocation. He regularly takes students to visit schools and work sites so that they can envision themselves being successful and confident in those spaces. Pedro also recognizes how critically important parent engagement is to a student’s success: He knows that the family goes to college and the family graduates from college. And he makes space for social and emotional learning, understanding that fostering healthy identity development, the creation of supportive relationships, emotional intelligence, and responsible, caring decision-making means his students are more likely to thrive academically and personally. Pedro’s nominator benefitted from his student-centered guidance when he was in high school; he praised his commitment to growing as an educator and challenging himself to keep adapting and revising his programming to reach more students and impact more lives.

Cole Conners — Lakeside High School (GA)
As an advocate for his students, Cole Conners quizzes the reps he meets about the supports his students might need. He knows his 200+ students well and guides them to consider schools that will challenge and support them, helping them find community and mentoring. “Cole is a major advocate of first generation college students. Each year, he has played a vital role in organizing Lakeside’s ‘Apply to College Day.’ During the programming, admission representatives and college counselors are available in the library to actively work with students to complete college applications and FAFSAs.” We call this kind of work life-changing.

Allie Cooper — Breakthrough Santa Fe (NM)
Understanding students’ needs in the admission process takes many forms. Allie Cooper from BreakThrough Santa Fe worked with one of our other 2021 award recipients, Sam Ritter, to bring a Case Study program to their students. Then they went a step further and found Spanish-speaking college reps to make the program accessible to more parents and guardians. Allie’s work with first-generation, often underrepresented students has increased participation in BreakThrough Santa Fe’s six-year advising program, giving more students the chance to learn about liberal arts colleges. “Her work around fundraising, community support, case studies, and parental involvement is instrumental in helping these students see college opportunities in and beyond New Mexico!”

DeEnna Holohan — Notre Dame High School (CA)
With DeEnna Holohan, students at Notre Dame High School have an active advocate who goes well beyond the fundamentals in college counseling. “She is a passionate representative of CTCL and performs in her role with grace, diligence and a wonderful sense of humor—always with a beaming smile.” DeEnna knows her students “on a deeply personal and individual level” and is always willing to advocate for schools of best fit. She meets with every rep that visits, in-person prior to COVID and online in today’s challenging pandemic. Her knowledge of schools’ offerings allows her to help students build college lists that make sense and can make a significant difference in their college career and beyond

Nicholas Howell — Pflugerville High School (TX)
Working at a large public high school, Nick Howell is full of energy and ready to serve. He goes above and beyond, staying after that last bell as long as necessary to ensure that his first-generation, low-income students are aware of the possibilities that await them after high school. Need a ride to your SAT test? Nick is there. Need a quiet space to complete that application form? His door is open. Not sure what it’s like to go to college? He is ready and willing to answer all the questions students and their families/guardians might have. Nick does it all. In the summer of 2020, he took his summer “boot camp” program online and generously shared that format with other counselors in his part of Texas. Big state, big heart: Nick Howell is a class-act in college counseling.

Victoria Monroe — Mechanicsburg High School (OH)
Sometimes it takes an extra step to engage students. Victoria Monroe goes that extra step. When college reps visited Mechanicsburg High School via Zoom, she recorded mini-info sessions with the reps during those meetings. Then Victoria produced interactive posters for each college, complete with facts, financial aid information, and links to the colleges’ videos and websites. She encourages students not only to look beyond rankings and ratings—and their own comfort zones—to find the best-fit colleges, but also to start early. Those mini-info sessions are shared with the whole MHS community, which reflects the scope of Victoria’s role as the only counselor for 9-12 students.

Lisa Pederson — Mounds Park Academy (MN)
Qualitative and quantitative data: Both are tools in Lisa Pederson’s counseling toolbox. She “encourages students to think outside of the rankings by providing them with data that is backed with individual experiences from previous students or from her own research.” And, while she is sharing the hard data, Lisa is spending time getting to know her students’ interests, challenges, hopes, and dreams so she can help build an exceptionally personalized college list. Working with the college reps to understand their schools, Lisa’s counseling reflects here in-depth knowledge base and sincere hope for her students’ futures.

Morgan Phillips — St. Mary’s School (NC)
While her full-time counseling position at St. Mary’s School keeps her busy and challenged, Morgan Phillips also works with students in the area through a scholarship program called A Simple Gift. Working with students who have vastly different backgrounds hones Morgan’s counseling skills, and she makes a difference—changes lives, shall we say—every day by keeping all students’ best interest at the heart of her work. Giving students insight into potentially new and different paths is important work, and Morgan is leading the way in North Carolina.

Sam Ritter — Davis New Mexico Scholarship (NM)
Sam Ritter is the first award recipient jointly nominated in the same year by two CTCL-member schools. His work at the Davis New Mexico Scholarship gives him special insight into the needs of first-generation, BIPOC students who have great talents and a lot to offer colleges but need that extra encouragement to see themselves on that path. With a mission to ensure students find the right fit for their educational opportunities, Sam guides families through every step of the application process, helping them navigate the unique hiccups that they may experience throughout college. “With tips, workshops, and advice along the way, he has designed a program that empowers students to apply to college, even if they don’t win the scholarship.”

Darryl Tiggle — Friends School of Baltimore (MD)
Darryl Tiggle knows that education is not meant to perpetuate a system and society but rather is meant to be transformative, both on a personal level for a student and on a societal level as well. His work aligns beautifully with CTCL’s hope that each student will find a next-step that fulfills and changes them for the better. “Darryl is always ready to talk one-on-one with a student to get to know them—not just their academic and extra-curricular history but truly who they are, what they care about, what they dream about, who inspires them, and who they want to become and be one day.” We would all love to have a Darryl Tiggle in our corner as we make big decisions.

Elena Walsh — Benjamin Franklin High School at Masonville Cove (MD)
As a teacher and the only counselor for students in 9-12, Elena Walsh is a busy person. However, she ensures that those busy days include plenty of time to individually counsel students towards life after graduation. “Elena focuses on establishing relationships, emphasizing that students need to invest in themselves and become their own advocates now in order to be successful in life.” She stays in contact with her graduates and shares their positive experiences with current students to reinforce this message of ‘fit’. College advising, life advising—they are all part of the package that Elena offers to the students at her large, urban, public high school.

Matt Ybarra — Santa Fe Preparatory School (NM)
Matt Ybarra “represents the very best of our college counseling world and does so with enthusiasm, professionalism, and, most importantly, with incredible heart.” Counseling students to consider schools where they will thrive, Matt asks students think beyond the known and to see themselves as ready for the adventure of college. His work “always goes above and beyond” for students, sharing his knowledge and experience not only with his official counseling load but also by collaborating with CBO leaders to support even more students in Santa Fe.