Melissa Rizzo, Editor in Chief
@mrizzo_courant
This past August, the counseling department lost two staff members: Dan Farina and Nick Willett. In light of this, some seniors have expressed concern about how this transition would impact their ability to receive a thorough letter of recommendation along with additional counseling support surrounding college admissions.
Counseling Department Chair Cynthia Rivera recognizes these concerns and reassured seniors by highlighting the fact that Mr. Willett and Mr. Farina have both met with the new counselors over the summer regarding the letters of recommendation. “Most notably, before they left, Mr. Farina and Mr. Willett both also wrote some level of the letters, laying out the important background information, and the stories that are important for colleges to know,” said Ms. Rivera.
New counselor Julia Rossini discusses extracurricular activities during Senior appointment.
In the coming months, the new counselors will also meet with their seniors to finalize the letters of recommendation by discussing each senior profile and subsequent parent brag sheet. “When we meet during the senior appointment, we flesh out all the extracurricular activities and various other aspects that make each student unique by discussing questions like what were your goals and interests,” Ms. Rivera said.
This appointment is crucial for all seniors, whether or not they have a new counselor. “A lot of times, seniors haven’t told us what was going on in their personal lives, so this appointment allows all counselors to learn the important information about each of their students in preparation for writing a well-thought-out letter of recommendation,” said Ms. Rivera.
Counselors Julia Rossini and Rose Marash have replaced Mr. Willett and Mr. Farina, respectively. “Mr. Willett and Mr. Farina have kept in close contact with Ms. Rossini and Mr. Farina, so if there are any questions the counselors will go back to them,” Ms. Rivera said.
If counselors still don’t have a good feel for a student, they’ll go to some of the senior’s past teachers to get a better understanding. “Overall, the writing process for the letter is collaborative, as a department we read each other’s letters and give each other advice,” said Ms. Rivera.
