You will hear about constructive and healt
hy ways to approach the college application process\, preserve your relati
onship with your teen\, and help them define success on their terms instea
d of chasing the elusive &ldquo\;golden ticket.&rdquo\;
Irena i
s a former Stanford Admissions Officer who has spent 18 years advising acc
omplished\, tightly-wound students in Palo Alto and around the world. She
saw firsthand the extreme measures parents took to help their children gai
n admission to highly selective colleges and the toll it took on the child
ren as well as on their parents.
At the same time\, Irena&rsquo
\;s own children struggled with developmental delays\, learning difference
s\, severe depression\, and anxiety. She kept her double life&mdash\;succe
ssful college counselor at work\, anxious mom at home&mdash\;tightly under
wraps for years until a stunning realization: she was exactly like the an
xious parents of the students she worked with\, all of whom were equally t
errified about \;their \;children's future. Irena&rsquo\;s memoir\
, \;The Golden Ticket: A Life in College Admissions Essays\,
which candidly explores her personal as well as professional life\, was pu
blished in 2023\, and she has since devoted her time to speaking out about
hard things: the heavy burden of generational expectations\, teen and you
ng adult mental health\, and the importance of embracing a broader\, more
generous vision of what it means to succeed. To learn more about Irena&rsq
uo\;s personal experience as a parent\, professional experience as a colle
ge admissions officer\, and leave with tips on how to help your child appr
oach the application process in practical\, healthy ways&ndash\;register n
ow!
About the Author: \;Irena Smith is an author\, former Stanford admissions
officer\, independent college counselor\, and mother of three extraordina
ry children. She emigrated from the former Soviet Union with her parents w
hen she was nine years old. In spite of her fierce insistence that she wou
ld 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 recei
ved a Distinguished Teaching Assistant Award and Dissertation Year Fellows
hip). Irena taught literature and composition at UCLA and Stanford before
transitioning to college admissions\, college advising\, and writing. Her
recently published memoir\, The Golden Ticket: A Life in College Admission
s Essays is the winner of the Story Circle Network'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 describe
d 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\;
Please Regi
ster for link to program.
Live Virtual Author Talks&n
bsp\;- \;This series through Library Speakers Consortium offe
rs live online talks by bestselling authors of books in a variety of genre
s. Participants receive a link to the program when they register. Please s
ee https://libraryc.org/gailbord
en \;to register and also view recorded videos of past speakers.