In our Committee Spotlight this month, we will be touching base with Jordan Sass and Micah Lyles Co-Chairs of the Professional Development Committee. When you hear the phrase “professional development” what comes to mind? A long drawn out day? A boring monotone speaker in a dark room? Well forget what you know about professional development as we explore the opportunities from the TACAC Professional Development Committee.

This committee is responsible for designing and implementing a variety of programs that allow the TACAC membership to continue to learn and network with other members. This is something that speaks personally to both Jordan and Micah.

Name: Manny Saldivar
Position Title: College Counselor
Current institution: Nolan Catholic High School, Fort Worth, TX
How long have you been in the profession: 1 year

Give us some background! Where are you from, where did you grow up, what drew you to your position as a counselor? 
I'm originally from Los Angeles, California. I was raised most of my life in Fort Worth, TX. I'm working as a College Counselor working with juniors and seniors.  I earned my Bachelor degree in Communication from the University of Texas at Arlington. I earned my Masters in Education Counseling with a focus in student affairs from Texas Christian University.  I love to travel and meet people from all walks of life. I'm just fascinated and intrigued by people. 

Could your students use extra support and reminders to complete their college application process? Then let First Lady Michelle Obama and the "Better Make Room" initiative help!

Have you been asked to become a member of TACAC? If so, you’ve probably been contacted by the Membership Committee. But what exactly is the Membership Committee? For more information we went directly to co-chairs Nicholas Howell and Charlotte Winkelmann.

The main mission of the Membership Committee is first and foremost to recruit and maintain TACAC and NACAC members. Nicholas and Charlotte explained, “Through this mission we are responsible for developing innovative ways to recruit prospective members. This is usually done by developing a view book and attending events where prospective members might be.”

Name: Veronica Tawney
Position/Title: Admission Counselor I
Current institution: Texas Woman’s University
How long have you been in the profession?: Less than a year as a counselor but a little over 4 working for a university in some capacity

Give us some background! Where are you from, where did you grow up, a little info on what you do in your position at Texas Woman’s University?
I’m originally from Carthage, Texas. I went out-of-state for college (Emerson College in Boston, MA) where I received my BFA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing. I loved my time in Boston but it was too cold for a Southerner like me so I moved back to Texas after graduation.

This year’s NACAC national conference is being held in charming Columbus, Ohio from September 22nd to September 24th. We at TACAC always strive to connect and collaborate with our peers on both a local and national scale, and hope you’re compelled to do so, too. Over 6,000 admissions professionals will be representing the 23 NACAC affiliate associations and traveling from all over the world to attend the conference. If you’re coming to the conference, we hope you’ll try to meet as many attendees as possible!

NACAC’s conference page does well to emphasize why attending the Columbus conference is so beneficial. Our field is ever-changing, and it behooves us to stay ahead of the curve, not only for our students and institutions, but for our own professional growth. Especially in light of the Coalition Application launch, the latest ruling in Fisher v. University of Texas, and the new SAT scoring, this is a conference not to be missed.

TACAC Drive-In workshops are specifically designed to provide secondary school counselors with unique professional development knowledge.  These one-day workshops, hosted in a variety of locations across the state, aim to assist counselors in working with students throughout the college application process.  Workshop sessions can include the importance of demonstrating interest, tips for working with undocumented students, a new approach to writing letters of recommendation, NCAA updates, creating a college-going culture with first-generation students, and understanding financial aid packages/financial aid updates, among other topics still being developed.

Workshops are aimed at a variety of audiences, with some being created for new counselors with less than two years of experience, while others aim to provide new perspectives or updates for counselors with many years in the field.  In addition to gaining new knowledge, workshops also offer an opportunity to connect and network with colleagues from across the state to share best practices and information on various issues affecting college counselors and the students they serve. Counselors who work at community-based organizations and independent counselors are also welcome to attend.

Students, parents, and educators are invited to learn about the world of post secondary opportunities available in science, technology, engineering, and math at the Houston STEM College and Career Fair, held on Sunday, September 25 at the University of Houston – Student Center South from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

The event, sponsored by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), is free and open to the public.

The TACAC blog is brought to you by the Communications Committee. As a volunteer organization, TACAC’s programs and committees are all run by college admission and college counseling professionals. The TACAC blog team represents a wonderful cross-section of our membership and they'll bring you great information about TACAC and the field of college admission counseling throughout the year.

Vicki Brooks
Current job: College Counselor
Institution: Uplift Williams Preparatory
Your best moment from the last year: When one of my students from inner-city Dallas came into the office to tell me she’d been matched through Questbridge.  Seeing her walk in the door, almost in tears, swarmed by her peers, made the necessity of my job very apparent.  Without a college counselor, she wouldn’t have known to apply to Questbridge, and might not be headed to an amazing (and ultra-competitive) school in the fall.
What you're excited about for the coming year: Using everything I learned during my first year of college counseling to better serve my students.
Hobby/something not many people know about you: I love listening to podcasts and audiobooks.  If you haven’t heard Malcom Gladwell’s Revisionist History, check out episodes 4-6, beginning with Carlos Doesn’t Remember.  He delves into the cost and access of higher education – there’s no better way to spend your commute, if you have one!

Dear TACAC Members,

It gives me great pleasure to introduce our new TACAC blog and to be the first to welcome you.  Our goal is to provide our membership small feeds of information that will allow you to click and see full details of a story.  I want to thank Abby Rosensweig and the communications committee for their hard work in getting this started.  

Welcome to the TACAC Blog!

The Communications Committee is excited to keep you informed about the great work of our organization and local, statewide, and national news about the college admission process. TACAC is an organization committed to the developing professionals and we hope this blog will keep our members connected and informed.