Whitney Dale
Director of College Counseling — Northside Campus
YES Prep Public Schools (TX)

What drew you to the world of college admission counseling?
I got into the world of college admission counseling by accident. I was transitioning into a new career and my intent was to apply to be a permanent substitute at one of our campuses, however after my interview the director of college counseling at the campus at the time pulled me for an interview as a Junior Seminar teacher. In that role, my job was to prepare our juniors for the college application process that they would start in their senior year. It didn’t take long for me to LOVE this new role and in six years I went from a Junior Seminar teacher to a college counselor and now I am in my second year as a director of college counseling leading the college access programming at my campus.

What is your favorite part of the job?
There are so many, but my favorite part is the relationships I have been able to build with parents and the knowledge I have been able to impart on our high school underclassmen to prepare them for their senior year. The more I communicate with parents the more they trust me and therefore allow their children to participate in school activities such as college visits out of state, college fly-ins, and student/summer opportunities.

How has NACAC played a role in your career?
The education and networking opportunities I’ve received from NACAC conferences has been invaluable. My first NACAC was in my hometown of Houston, and we had a BALL! I learned a lot about college admissions, and I also was able to network with college advisers from all around the country. The knowledge I have gained has been invaluable.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing our profession today?
The biggest challenge this year, in my opinion, has been the new FASFA/TASFA rollout and delay. While I believe that in the future this process will be easier, the new rollout has been quite difficult for those of us working directly with students and families. I have seniors who want to make final college decisions but who are hesitant because they don’t know what their aid packages will look like.

When you aren’t working, what do you like to do?
When I am not working, I am reading, sleeping, laughing, and hanging and with friends and family.

What five words would you use to describe yourself?
Witty, charming, resourceful, goal-oriented, and confident.

 

Published April 29, 2024