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SUMMARY:Author Talk: Irena Smith Golden Ticket to College Admissions
LOCATION:Online\nOnline
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DESCRIPTION:Another college application season is around the corner\, and 
 stress is already beginning to ratchet up for teens and their parents. Joi
 n us for this must-watch talk by Irena Smith\, PhD. .\nhttps://ocls.libnet
 .info/event/10809252
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:<p>Another college application season is arou
 nd the corner\, and stress is already beginning to ratchet up for teens an
 d their parents. You&rsquo\;re invited to join us for this must-watch talk
  by Irena Smith\, PhD. You will hear about constructive and healthy ways t
 o approach the college application process\, preserve your relationship wi
 th your teen\, and help them define success on their terms instead of chas
 ing the elusive &ldquo\;golden ticket.&rdquo\;</p>\n<p>Irena is a former S
 tanford Admissions Officer who has spent 18 years advising accomplished\, 
 tightly-wound students in Palo Alto and around the world. She saw firsthan
 d the extreme measures parents took to help their children gain admission 
 to highly selective colleges and the toll it took on the children as well 
 as on their parents.</p>\n<p>At the same time\, Irena&rsquo\;s own childre
 n struggled with developmental delays\, learning differences\, severe depr
 ession\, and anxiety. She kept her double life&mdash\;successful college c
 ounselor at work\, anxious mom at home&mdash\;tightly under wraps for year
 s until a stunning realization: she was exactly like the anxious parents o
 f the students she worked with\, all of whom were equally terrified about&
 nbsp\;their&nbsp\;children's future. Irena&rsquo\;s memoir\,&nbsp\;The Gol
 den Ticket: A Life in College Admissions Essays\, which candidly explores 
 her personal as well as professional life\, was published in 2023\, and sh
 e has since devoted her time to speaking out about hard things: the heavy 
 burden of generational expectations\, teen and young adult mental health\,
  and the importance of embracing a broader\, more generous vision of what 
 it means to succeed. To learn more about Irena&rsquo\;s personal experienc
 e as a parent\, professional experience as a college admissions officer\, 
 and leave with tips on how to help your child approach the application pro
 cess in practical\, healthy ways&ndash\;register now!</p>\n<p></p>\n<p><st
 rong>About the Author:&nbsp\;</strong>Irena Smith is an author\, former St
 anford admissions officer\, independent college counselor\, and mother of 
 three extraordinary children. She emigrated from the former Soviet Union w
 ith her parents when she was nine years old. In spite of her fierce insist
 ence that she would never\, not ever\, learn English\, she went on to earn
  a BA in English and then a PhD in Comparative Literature (both from UCLA\
 , where she received a Distinguished Teaching Assistant Award and Disserta
 tion Year Fellowship). Irena taught literature and composition at UCLA and
  Stanford before transitioning to college admissions\, college advising\, 
 and writing. Her recently published memoir\,&nbsp\;The Golden Ticket: A Li
 fe in College Admissions Essays&nbsp\;is the winner of the Story Circle Ne
 twork's Gilda Award\, named in honor of comedian Gilda Radner to recognize
  honest\, authentic writing that "makes us laugh even when we want to cry.
 " It's been described by Forbes as &ldquo\;captivating and smart&hellip\; 
 a potential antidote to the fevered belief that being admitted to an elite
  college will spell the difference between a successful life vs. a doomed 
 future.&rdquo\; She has given a TEDx talk on humanizing the college applic
 ation process and writes about parenting\, college admissions\, and redefi
 ning success in her weekly Substack newsletter\,&nbsp\;The Golden Ticket (
 is not what you think).&nbsp\;You can also find her on Substack at&nbsp\;P
 ersonal Statements.&nbsp\;</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>The views expressed by present
 ers are their own and their appearance in a program does not imply an endo
 rsement of them or any entity they represent. Reference to any specific pr
 oduct or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Or
 ange County Library System.</p>\nhttps://ocls.libnet.info/event/10809252
URL;VALUE=URI:https://ocls.libnet.info/event/10809252
ATTACH:https://static.libnet.info/images/events/ocls/Author_IS.jpg
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