2016.OC_.SLC_.Conference-Program

Registration: 7:30 am Founders Hall Atrium Continental Breakfast available until 8:30 am Opening Session: 8:30 am to 9:30 am Welcome Welcome to Soka from Marilyn Gove, Manager of Admi

The 2016 Orange County

Share, Learn, and Connect

Friday, March 4, 2016 7:30am to 3:00pm

at

Soka University of America

Registration: 7:30 am

Founders Hall Atrium Continental Breakfast available until 8:30 am

Opening Session: 8:30 am to 9:30 am

Welcome

Welcome to Soka from Marilyn Gove, Manager of Admission Events & Programs, Soka

University

WACAC Update from Andy Losier, Associate Director of College Counseling, Sage Hill

School, WACAC Membership Chair

Keynote Address

Presented by:

Jodi Okun

Author, Financial Advisor, and President of College Financial Aid Advisors

For many years, parents and students have struggled with the timeframe of completing the FAFSA in January, receiving their financial aid award letters, and trying to make a college selection by May Some have felt that there isn’t enough time to fully consider this decision and that the crossover with the income tax return deadlines is too onerous In 2016, big

changes will be implemented to help alleviate these concerns New FAFSA deadlines, use of earlier income information, and improved decision-making will be discussed

About Jodi:

Author Speaker Entrepreneur Financial Advisor Jodi Okun is one of the “Top 30 Social

Influencers in Personal Finance & Wealth” according to Huffington Post As the founder of College Financial Aid Advisors, she has helped thousands of families successfully navigate the financial aid process and open up educational possibilities for their children, regardless of cost

In addition to CFAA, Jodi’s background includes working as a financial aid consultant at

Occidental and Pitzer College

Every Thursday at 5 p.m PST, Jodi hosts #CollegeCash, a Twitter chat devoted to connecting college-bound families with higher education professionals With more than 10 million

impressions per week, #CollegeCash is a top resource for parents and students @JodiOkun has been cited as a top 4 Twitter account on student financial aid

Jodi is also an About.com Money Expert and the Brand Ambassador for Discover Student Loans

Session 1: 9:45 am to 10:30 am

Redesigned SAT Suite of Assessments: Understanding Scores and Reporting - Founders 3rd floor

The redesigned PSAT/NMSQT was administered in October, and the redesigned SAT will debut

in March Come learn about the information the new assessments will provide to you and your students Topics covered include understanding the new scores, using concordance

information, getting the most out of the new reporting portal, and creating personalized

practice through Khan Academy

 Jim Bonner, Educational Manager, College Board

Flight 1A 101 to LAX: A Boarding Pass to International Admissions at California

Universities - Pauling 216

Representatives from a California community college, a California private university,

and the University of California and California State University systems will address

challenges of international students applying from U.S high schools This session will

share admission evaluation practices and provide high school counselors with

recommendations on how to prepare this population for admissions

 Olivia Chen, Assistant Director of Admission Evaluation, UCLA

 Traci Lew, Associate Director of Admissions & Outreach, Cal Poly Pomona

 Kristoffer Toribio, Assistant Director, International Admissions and Recruitment, Orange Coast College

Effective Counseling for Student-Athletes - Wangari Maathai 403

Advising athletes as they go through their college recruiting experience is substantially

different from counseling students The majority of high school counselors receive virtually no formalized training in this area This session will provide you with an overview and timeline for the recruiting process, as well as how you can teach your athletes the steps needed to initiate their own successful recruiting experience

 David Stoeckel, Independent Educational Consultant, College Recruiting Group

Launching a Dreamers Resource Center - Wangari Maathai 402

Overview of how to establish a center that serves undocumented and DACA students

and their families We will provide a timeline that covers how to determine physical

location, campus liaisons, services needed, and legal recourse for those who visit the

center This includes identifying space for the center, creating a campus and

community taskforce to engage all stakeholders for the project’s progress, and

activities that promote the awareness needed to include students who need to

self-identify due to their immigration issues

 Sylvia Juarez-Magana, Educational Consultant, Juarez Consulting Inc

 Cindy G Florez, Educational Consultant, Juarez Consulting Inc

Lunch and College Fair: 10:30 am to 11:45 am

Soka Bistro – Bamboo Corridor located between Student Center and Pauling Hall

An early lunch will be available for conference attendees at the Soka Bistro (second floor of the Student Center) The college fair will take place in the Bamboo Corridor (just outside of the Soka Bistro)

College fair participants include:

Arizona State University

Augustana College

Chapman University

College of St Benedict/St John’s University

Colorado Mesa University

Concordia University – Irvine

Emerson College

Hawaii Pacific University

Indiana University

Marist College

Marymount California University

Maryville University

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and

Health Sciences Boston

Oregon State Soka University Syracuse University The Art Institutes Trinity University University of Arizona University of Florida University of Idaho University of Nevada, Reno University of New Mexico University of Redlands University of Tennessee Villanova University

Session 2: 12:00 pm to 12:45 pm

University of California: Updates - Founders 3rd floor

Join us for system-wide UC updates from UCLA's Director of Undergraduate Admissions This session will walk through the upcoming changes within the UC system, news from the

2015-2016 admissions cycle, and what's ahead for the UC campuses

 Gary Clark, Director of Undergraduate Admissions, UCLA

Helping Your Students Choose Between the ACT and the Redesigned SAT - Pauling 216

Parents and students are currently flooded with information and mixed messages on how to choose between the ACT and the redesigned SAT In this session, we'll share the latest

information on both exams We'll also discuss best practices for counseling families who are trying to decide between the ACT and the redesigned SAT

 Nick Standlea, President, Test Prep Gurus

You Gotta Have Faith (Or Not!): Faith and Fit in College Admission - Wangari Maathai 403

We’ll provide solid, unbiased information so that counselors can make educated comparisons between religiously affiliated and secular colleges We believe that students should be aware

of all of their options while they search for the best-fit colleges for them Which is the right fit for your students? Let’s find out!

 Leigh Weissman, College Counselor, Collegewise; Former Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Sacred Heart University

 Lynn Maloney, College Counselor, Collegewise; Former Assistant Director of Admissions at

University of Dayton

Talking WUE: We Update and Educate - Wangari Maathai 402

WUE (pronounced “woo-wee”) is the Western Undergraduate Exchange, a regional tuition-reciprocity agreement that enables students from US Western states to enroll at participating two- and four-year public institutions at reduced tuition

The WUE program offered at 150+ institutions has some similarities among all and many

variations causing confusion and misunderstandings Panelists from WUE institutions will explain the commonalities and address the nuances

Counselors will be equipped to assist students looking at out-of-state schools that offer WUE and ultimately reduced tuition!

 Gary K Bednorz, Recruitment Specialist, University of New Mexico

 Vanessa Ea, Principal Admissions Counselor, Western United States, University of Colorado – Colorado Springs

Session 3: 1:00pm to 1:45pm

How Do I Make My Essay, Like, Deep? - Founders 3rd floor

Combining techniques from Nonviolent Communication and screenwriting, Ethan Sawyer (College Essay Guy) wants to equip you with tools to help your students bring emotional layers and complexity to their personal statements It all begins by helping students identify their deeper needs Sample essays and handouts provided Come ready to work

 Ethan Sawyer, College Essay Guy

California State Universities: Updates - Pauling 216

Join us for system-wide CSU updates from our local CSU admissions office This session will walk through the upcoming changes within the CSU system, news from the 2015-2016 admissions cycle, and what's ahead for the CSU campuses

 Lisa Rubio, Admissions Operations Officer, Cal State Fullerton

Non-Cognitive Skills: Keys to Student Success -Wangari Maathai 403

This workshop will help professionals identify, understand, and address the stressors that our students experience on an everyday basis Environmental, socio-emotional, and psychological influences impact our students’ abilities to perform in the classroom Participants will learn about key social and emotional stressors and discuss the nonacademic challenges that first-generation and low-income students face As we look to understand the correlation between non-academic factors and college readiness, attendees will learn about specific strategies being applied by college access professionals

 Jack Friedman, Founder, Study Smart Tutors

 Cuauhtemoc Solorio, Project Coordinator, California Lutheran University Upward Bound

Naviance Best Practices - Wangari Maathai 402

Learn how to integrate Naviance into your school setting The speakers, who have

utilized Naviance for the past 10 years, will talk about their experiences, how to counsel

students to find synergy between them and potential schools, and how to utilize

Naviance for college documents

 Olivia Huie, Director of Counseling, JSerra Catholic High School

 Janet Miller, Registrar, JSerra Catholic High School

Campus Tour (Optional): 2:00pm to 3:00pm

SESSION NOTES

Thank you to our speakers for sharing their time and talents with our attendees and to

our volunteers for donating their time and energy

Thank you to the admission staff of Soka University of America

Special thanks to Marilyn Gove for her partnership, patience, and hard work in

planning this event

Special thanks to Amanda Hotinger and Angela DeWolf King for coordinating our college fair attendees