MENDOCINO Co., 8/13/24 –– Just as fast as summer went by, Mendocino County high school seniors are returning for their last year in school. That means college application season is almost here.
And if you’re a parent or guardian with a teen who hopes to be college-bound next year, then you won’t want to miss this virtual talk with Dr. Irena Smith, an author, former Stanford admissions officer, independent college counselor and mother of three.
Hosted by the Mendocino County Library on Thursday, Smith will share tips and stories from her new memoir, The Golden Ticket: A Life in College Admissions Essays. The book pulls from Smith’s 18 years at Stanford, advising students around the world.
The book also examines Smith’s role as a mother, including parenting children with developmental delays, severe depression, learning differences and anxiety. “She kept her double life — successful college counselor at work, anxious mom at home — tightly under wraps for years until a stunning realization: she was exactly like the anxious parents of the students she worked with, all of whom were equally terrified about their children’s future,” the library wrote in a statement.
Smith will help parents and guardians learn to approach college applications in a healthy and constructive way, how to maintain a healthy relationship with one’s teen during the process, and how to help students succeed in their goals on their own terms.
The event takes place at 11 a.m. on Thursday, August 15, and is free. Registration is required here.