Kerry Clark
College & Career Counselor
Woodinville Montessori School (WA)

What drew you to the world of college admission counseling?
I was drawn to the world of college admission counseling by way of earning an MA in English. I began working at a small private school as a high school English teacher following graduate school, and I quickly realized that my skill set is a strong match for the work college counselors do. Creating and proofing professional documents, revising essays, communicating with a broad range of parties, and applying for scholarships all require someone with strong skills as a reader, writer, and speaker.

What is your favorite part of the job?
My favorite part of the job is helping students take their personal statement from a collection of thoughts and ideas to a story that readers can’t stop reading because it is so engaging and interesting that one must go on to see where it goes. I tell students that each one of them will have a mini-masterpiece ready to send to colleges after going through rounds of revisions, what I call the feedback loop. To discuss ideas with students and see them take my advice and incorporate it using their own voice and ideas makes me feel a sense of accomplishment. Knowing that students always had the pieces to their story within them, but only needed to think more about how to connect with readers on a human level, excites me more than any other aspect of the work I do as a college counselor. Seeing students take ownership of this process and put their best effort into crafting a story that resonates gives students (and me) a sense of satisfaction that is only matched thereafter on graduation day, as they walk across the stage and share with the world all of their accomplishments.

How has NACAC played a role in your career?
NACAC has played a huge role in my career from the beginning. I’ve been fortunate to work at schools that value the professional development that NACAC provides, so I am able to attend the conference yearly, having done so eight of the last 10 years. As a new counselor, I learned the ins and outs of the profession, and I tested what I thought I knew against what experts were saying during the many presentations and panels I attended. As I progressed in my career, NACAC provided a greater depth of knowledge, allowing me to develop an understanding of some of the less common situations my students might need to know about, such as studying at schools internationally and navigating the varying application processes and requirements overseas; creating portfolios and applying to performing or visual arts schools; and preparing student-athletes for the eligibility and recruitment process while navigating the various levels of athletics they can pursue in college. On top of that, I’ve had the opportunity to make countless connections with college representatives, vendors, and my high school counterparts.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing our profession today?
I think the biggest challenge facing our profession is dealing with the inherent differences that come with income inequality. I’ve seen the differences firsthand while living in Seattle, where I worked at a private school that had multiple college counselors with 60-to-1 caseloads and nearly 100% of graduates going to four-year universities, while two miles down the road there is a public school that is poorly funded and lacking resources, with students rarely going to college. Students at the underfunded school don’t have similar access to a college counselor or other trusted adults who can guide them through the college admissions process. I know there are people and organizations working hard to support students who aren’t receiving the type of counseling that exists at college prep schools, but even with their efforts, a wide gap remains between the level of access and ultimate success for those wishing to attend college who come from different income levels.

When you aren’t working, what do you like to do?
When I’m not working, I love to play and watch sports. Living in Seattle, I go to a dozen or more Mariners games a year, and I usually try to make it to at least one live Seahawks game and Kraken game. Also, I am a baseball umpire, working both high school and college level games all over the Pacific Northwest. Lastly, I enjoy doing graphic design and reading voraciously, anything from the daily news to novels.

If you could be any fictional character, who would it be and why?
I would have to say Gandalf because who doesn’t love a good adventure?

 

Published on Nov. 18, 2024