Members of the WACAC Executive Board convened at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose from June 26 to June 28 for the group’s annual summer retreat.
The retreat kicked off with introductions, for which each person was asked to provide a favorite quote or aphorism. Some were lighthearted (“It’s never too late to start wasting the rest of your life”), while others related to deeply personal experiences or to the important work admission professionals do in supporting young men and women in their transition to college.
Committee chairs then shared their goals for the upcoming year. Anne Aubert-Santelli and Lauren Popkowski from the Communications Committee were excited to announce the launch of the new WACAC blog. Yamilet Medina Lopez of the Diversity, Equity, and Access Committee spoke about expanding the DEA umbrella to include other populations of students, such as LGBTQ and learning disabled students. Sunday Salter, Transfer Advocacy Committee Chair, discussed how WACAC could continue to engage Transfer Center Coordinators and Directors through professional development opportunities and other special projects.
The second day was all about details. The executive board hammered out a timeline for the year and brainstormed new ideas for individual committees and the organization as a whole. Assembly Delegates also received training in preparation for the NACAC Conference in Toronto.
On the last morning, the group gathered for its first formal meeting as the 2013-2014 WACAC Executive Board.
While it was an exhausting three days, the retreat was also an incredible opportunity–to connect with colleagues from across the admission profession, to discuss ways in which the WACAC Executive Board could be of service to its members, and to be inspired for the year ahead.
Thank you to those who put together an amazing retreat! And a special thank you to the staff at Bellarmine for providing a beautiful meeting space and many pots of coffee!
By Anne Aubert-Santelli