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\;
\nIrena 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.
\nAt 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 \;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 publishe d in 2023\, and she has since devoted her time to speaking out about hard things: the heavy burden of generational expectations\, teen and young adu lt mental health\, and the importance of embracing a broader\, more genero us vision of what it means to succeed. To learn more about Irena&rsquo\;s personal experience as a parent\, professional experience as a college adm issions officer\, and leave with tips on how to help your child approach t he application process in practical\, healthy ways&ndash\;register now!
\nAbout the Author
\nIrena Smith is an author\, former Stanford admissions officer\, independent college counselor\, and mother of three extraordinary children. She emigrated from the former Sovi et Union with her parents when she was nine years old. In spite of her fie rce insistence 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 an d Dissertation Year Fellowship). Irena taught literature and composition a t UCLA and Stanford before transitioning to college admissions\, college a dvising\, and writing. Her recently published memoir\, \;The Golde n Ticket: A Life in College Admissions 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 w hen 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 a dmitted to an elite college will spell the difference between a successful life vs. a doomed future.&rdquo\; \;
\nhttps://edisonpubliclibrary .libnet.info/event/10853944 URL;VALUE=URI:https://edisonpubliclibrary.libnet.info/event/10853944 ATTACH:https://static.libnet.info/images/events/edisonpubliclibrary/Irena_ Smith.png END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR