Irena Smith\, PhD is a former Stanford Adm issions Officer who has spent 18 years advising accomplished\, tightly-wou nd students in Palo Alto and around the world. She saw firsthand the extre me measures parents took to help their children gain admission to highly s elective colleges and the toll it took on the children as well as on their parents. \;
\nAt the same time\, Irena&rsquo\;s own children st ruggled with developmental delays\, learning differences\, severe depressi on\, and anxiety. She kept her double life&mdash\;successful college couns elor at work\, anxious mom at home&mdash\;tightly under wraps for years un til a stunning realization: she was exactly like the anxious parents of th e students she worked with\, all of whom were equally terrified about \;their \;children's future. Irena&rsquo\;s memoir\, \;The Golden Tick et: A Life in College Admissions Essays\, which candidly explores her personal as well as professional life\, was published in 2023\, and s he 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 experien ce as a parent\, professional experience as a college admissions officer\, and leave with tips on how to help your child approach the application pr ocess in practical\, healthy ways&ndash\;register now!
\nAbo ut the Author: \;Irena Smith is an author\, former Stanford a dmissions officer\, independent college counselor\, and mother of three ex traordinary children. She emigrated from the former Soviet Union with her parents when she was nine years old. In spite of her fierce insistence tha t 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 Dissertation Yea r Fellowship). Irena taught literature and composition at UCLA and Stanfor d before transitioning to college admissions\, college advising\, and writ ing. Her recently published memoir\, \;The Golden Ticket: A Life in Co llege 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 when we want to cry." It's b een described by Forbes as &ldquo\;captivating and smart&hellip\; a potent ial 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 coll ege application process and \;writes about parenting\, college admissi ons\, and redefining success in her \;weekly newsletter\, \;The Go lden Ticket (is not what you think). \;You can also find her on Substa ck at \;https://thegoldenticket.substack.com/. \;
\nDisclaimer:
\nThe views expressed by presenters are their o wn and their appearance in a program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Indianapolis Publ ic Library.
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