Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving

Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving. It’s a great holiday.

Great food. Free time. Football…lots of football. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is on when you wake up. My dad and I still discuss which float we like best or which Broadway singer’s lip-syncing didn’t seem on target. We also love the marching bands. The holiday shopping season is about to commence, and houses will soon don festive lights and decorations.

Hopefully you take a moment tomorrow to give thanks for what is important to you. Certainly, I am thankful for good health, friends, family, great colleagues, and just the chance to do what I do every day.  I think there is a saying that if you love what you do, it really isn’t work. How true. Here are a few additional things that made my “Give Thanks” list in regards to my work in college admission this year.

I am thankful for technology. Having worked in a college admission office professionally for nearly 20 years, this is perhaps the single most important thing that transformed how admission offices operate and how students go about the college search process. Students have many more resources at their fingertips. The use of documents and outreach via e-mails, Web sites, and social media networks (Facebook, Twitter) makes the admission process easier for colleges and universities to manage.

I am thankful for our counterparts on the high school side, the College Counselors. College Counselors play an important role in opening a student’s mind to all the options and opportunities available to them. Many counselors really know their students very well. I read countless recommendation letters. Counselors spend hours choosing the right words and identifying the best examples to share more in-depth knowledge about student leadership, involvement, and dedication.

I am thankful for Loyola. You may or may not know that we were recently recognized for the second year in a row as one of Chicago’s top 100 workplaces by the Chicago Tribune. We are ranked number 18, in fact. Being a part of a community that is warm, welcoming, and supportive is important to me. Think about how this translates to our student community. There are a number of faculty, staff and administrators who simply love Loyola. I think our students feel like they are in a welcoming and supportive environment, too.

Have a great Thanksgiving holiday and best wishes to you and your family!

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