511: Identity, Self-care, and the Future of College Admission

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In today’s episode, Ethan connects with Angel Pérez (CEO of the National Association of College Admission Counselors) to discuss identity, his personal journey with self-care, and where he sees the college admission profession heading. 

On the episode, you’ll hear Angel and Ethan discuss:

  • Angel’s brainstorming work for his own imagined college essay (yes, really)

  • What Angel’s core values have to do with his self-care journey

  • Strategies and techniques Angel (and Ethan) use for self care

  • How does Angel see the US college landscape (and/or admissions process) changing in the next 5 years? 

Fun fact: You’ll find the YouTube video version of this podcast on the College Essay Guy YouTube channel.

Check out last year’s conversation, CEG Podcast Episode 401: Self-care for counselors, leaders, and professionals in helping roles.

If you haven’t met Angel Pérez, he is CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). In this role, he represents more than 25,000 admission and counseling professionals worldwide committed to postsecondary access and success. Named by a Forbes article in 2019 as the most influential voice in college admissions, he strives to build an educational ecosystem that better represents today’s society. Prior to joining NACAC in July of 2020, Dr. Pérez served in secondary and higher education leadership positions across America, most recently, as Vice President for Enrollment and Student Success at Trinity College in Connecticut. He is an advocate for counselors everywhere, an important ally in the work of increasing access to higher education, and I’m so lucky to call him my friend… 

Hope you enjoy this episode. 

Play-by-Play

  • 2:43 - Introductions and welcome

  • 4:15 - Values Exercise

  • 9:13 - Social Identities Exercise

  • 11:47 - What life experiences have influenced Angel’s identities? 

  • 19:58 - How do Angel’s core values connect to identity? 

  • 22:46 - How has self-care for Angel and Ethan evolved since their conversation last year?

  • 27:06 - What are Angel and Ethan still working on for self-care?

  • 33:39 - Accountability, pausing, and intention in self-care 

  • 39:24 - How does Angel see the US college landscape (and/or admissions process) changing in the next 5 years? 

  • 44:14 - How has the ban on race-conscious admission impacted students? 

  • 46:07 - Advice for students 

  • 48:20 - Is college still worth the cost?

  • 50:56 - Advice for counselors and admission professionals

  • 53:23 - Closing thoughts

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