By Rachel Williams, NACAC Communications

New Orleans, LA (July 30, 2024) – NACAC board member Chris Loo has been helping plan her school’s senior prom for the last six years. There’s just one problem: Nothing about prom aligns with her values or who she is.

“I don’t like big events. I don’t like fancy clothes,” said Loo. “When I thought about why I’ve been doing this for six years, well, I’m not entirely sure.”

Her message: Spend your time and energy doing the things that align with your values. When you do, you are helping to guard yourself from burnout — something that occurs all too often in the college admission counseling profession.

Loo shared this personal story at a Guiding the Way to Inclusion education session called Putting Our Masks on First: Self-Care for College Admission Counseling Professionals. NACAC CEO Angel B. Pérez and founder of the College Essay Guy, Ethan Sawyer, presented alongside Loo.

In addition to their personal stories and journeys of self-care, Loo, Pérez, and Sawyer presented research-proven ways to prioritize your own self-care. Among the tips are to adjust your relationship with devices, understand the power of saying no, and be intentional with your mornings. Read more about self-care tips.

Loo also encouraged attendees to consider how their capacity, compassion, and competence collide, and if they can reframe these three areas.

For example, “We all have multiple competencies, and our institutions appreciate that we’re good at so many things,” she said. “But ask yourself this: Do I have to give all of my gifts and talents all of the time? Could I work in more breathing room and freedom into my schedule? If I do that, could I be giving someone else time to shine and share their gifts and strengths?”

With so many challenges facing the profession, college admission counseling professionals should be sure to prioritize their own needs and take care of themselves so they can show up for the people and things they care about, said Pérez. In a recent NACAC membership survey, 38 percent of respondents said they are struggling with burnout.

“I was a low-income Latino who grew up in the South Bronx. A high school counselor and admission counselor fundamentally changed my life [when they encouraged me to consider college],” said Pérez in his welcoming remarks. “You may influence hundreds if not thousands of students throughout your career. You must remember that as things get tough.”

More than 20 education sessions filled the opening day of GWI. Sessions ranged from understanding the equity implications of high school math curriculum, to AAPI adolescents’ mental health, to growing as a Latinx leader in college admission.

For more news on Guiding the Way to Inclusion 2024, happening through Aug. 1, read the daily highlights from NACAC and follow along on social media using #GWI2024.