Category: Admissions Staff

Goedendag everyone (Good day in Dutch)! 

4:00AM came early this day in Norway; but fortunately, I was not far from the airport .. only a 5 minute taxi ride.  My flight was scheduled for 6:05AM, so I planned to leave plenty of time to get there. 

Today my plans included visiting several schools in and around the first class city of Amsterdam, Netherlands.  As we approached the Schipol airport (by the way, random trivia fact for you: this is the fourth largest airport in the world!), one can see the many fields and canals that make up western Holland.  Holland is a very small country, the size of just Connecticut and Rhode Island combined.  Known for many things over the centuries, including windmills and wooden shoes, Holland is also quite well known for its Tulip production.

Fields and fields of tulips can be seen splashed across the countryside; its truly a beautiful sight to see!  I would also be somewhat misrepresenting the current state of Holland if I were to continue leading you to believe they still operate many of the country’s windmills, and are running around in their wooden shoes; in most cases, neither still happen with any frequency.  Wooden windmills of the past have been replaced with much more modern and efficient models, producing much of the country’s energy.  The wooden shoes, while still readily available in street shops and major retailers, are only worn by some farmers tending to their fields.  Of course, still without luggage, I had the option of purchasing a pair of wooden shoes for the weekend and my return journey to Boston.  I will admit, I tried a pair on (really, just for the experience, and to be able to say I did, but alas, opted for the more comfortable and modern rubber soled shoe).

 

From Schipol I traveled to Amstelveen, just outside Amsterdam proper, to the International School there.  Terrific students from approximately 20 nationalities are enrolled at the school, making for a wonderfully diverse and interesting experience.  From there, I called a taxi which took me approximately 25 minutes to The Hague where I visited the American School of The Hague.  I reconnected with a wonderful young woman I had met earlier in the year, Andrea Koris, who was here on campus to visit earlier this spring and interviewed with me at that time.  She has some familiarity with the College … her father, David, is an alumnus of the College, and older sister, Caitlin, a current student here.  Andrea said she was still thinking hard about her college options, but felt comfortable knowing she had already made some decisions about where she would feel most comfortable, and what the right environment for her would be.  She continues to hold Holy Cross in high regard, and is looking forward to submitting her application this fall for consideration.  My visit with Andrea and her counselor lasted approximately 90 minutes, and she was back to class, and the remainder of her daily activities.

So, ok kids … get out your globes … its time to recap.  We started in Boston and traveled to London.  From London we traveled to Milan, Trieste, and then Duino, Italy.  From Trieste, Italy, we took a three-hopper: Rome – Amsterdam – Bergen, Norway.  Once in Bergen, we traveled by taxi, fast boat, bus, and car, 7 hours to the United World College in Flekke, Norway: amazing!  From Bergen we went back to Amsterdam for Friday and the weekend.  SO, for those keeping score at home, in four days that would make for 5 countries, 10 cities … 7 flights, 7 taxi rides, 4 tube rides, 4 trips via car, 2 trips via boat, 2 via bus, and 1 via train; WHEW!  SO …

Flight fare $$: let’s not discuss that …
Lost luggage $$: more than I care to think about
Students and contacts: PRICELESS.

As I left The Hague, I was inspired and excited by the students and counselors I had met throughout the week.  This was certainly the most exciting and interesting trip I’ve made in my Admissions Career!

Doei, from The Hague, for now.

James T. Richardson
Associate Director of Admission

Well, it’s been a long 14 days out here, and I must admit that I am ready to get back to Worcester, Massachusetts this weekend.  Not to say that I didn’t have a wonderful trip…because I did.  After spending last week in California, this past week I spent time in Portland, Oregon, Seattle, Washington and right now I’m writing from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.  I visited lots of schools during the week and met lots of very interesting high school students, some whom might even be reading this!  If so, hello again!  Ha.  Anyway, we visit all of these schools in a effort to meet students interested in Holy Cross and also talk with high school guidance counselors about HC, to help make this process a little more familiar and easier to handle.  Maloney Tip #3 – get to your guidance counselor and check to see if any of the colleges which you are interested in are visiting your school.  I’d love to talk with you!

Have a great weekend!

Patrick Maloney ’02
Assistant Director of Admissions

Today was quite possibly one of the single most interesting days of my entire Admissions career.  Situated on the south western coast of Norway is the country’s second largest city, Bergen.  Slightly smaller than Oslo in the east, Bergen is the major shipping and oil center for all of Norway, much of Scandanavia and western Europe.  Several thousand years ago it served as the country’s capital due to the extent of shipping and trading that happened here.

Three and one half hours to the north of Bergen is another United World College, "Nordic Red Cross", in a tiny village called Flekke (pronounced fleck-eh), population: 214.  This was to be my destination today.  I left my hotel by taxi, bound for stage 2 of my journey: "the fast boat", which would take me two hours up the coast.  We arrived to Rysjedalsvika right on time, where I then boarded a coach bus destined for Flekke, fourty minutes to the north.

United World College – Nordic Red Cross is an amazing place!  Beautifully situated between the mountains, waterfalls, and greener-than-green fields full of sheep, is a school of 200 incredibly bright, talented, and diverse students.  Like my encounters in Duino, Italy, these 200 students have arrived here to the hills of Flekke from 85 different nations around the world!  I spent the day meeting with students from far away places like Algeria, Egypt, Angola, Tajikistan, and Swaziland, just to name a few.  By the end of the day, I knew this was a place to which I would most definitely return.  Students here are enrolled in a two year intensive International Baccalaureate program, and in speaking with them are clearly very passionate about their academics, and the opportunities which they have before them.

By 5:30 this evening I needed to say goodbye to my friends at Nordic, and reboard the bus headed for another beautiful ride on the "fast boat" for my return to Bergen.  I was back to the Thon tonight around  9:30, took in a quick dinner, and am now preparing for bed … I will be departing for world-class Amsterdam, Netherlands at 6:05AM tomorrow morning.  And, oh yeah, still no word on the luggage;  stay tuned.

Ser deg senere for now (see you later in Norwegian).

James T. Richardson
Associate Director of Admission
FACHEX Coordinator

Tucked into the cliffs of Northern Italy’s coast of the Adriatic sea lies a tiny village called Duino; some locals consider it a village of the larger, more bustling Trieste (which you’re much more likely to find on a map).  It is in Duino that I spent my time on this day, September 19.

Well known, and very warmly welcomed by the residents of Duino is the United World College of the Adriatic.

Here, approximately 200 students of 85 different nationalities come together to "become responsible citizens, politically and environmentally aware, committed to the ideals of peace, justice, understanding and cooperation, and to the implementation of these ideals through action and personal example".  (the preceding was taking from the UWC-Adriatic Admissions publication).  Today I interviewed students from Algeria, Kenya, and Albania, just to name a few … all were terrifically engaging, and genuinely interested in making the most of their educational opportunities; exactly the type of students we seek to be included in the student body at Holy Cross.

   

By 1:30PM however, I was unfortunately done in Duino, and needed to hustle back to the airport to move on to the next stop: Bergen, Norway!  I traveled a little lighter tonight however … for those of you keeping score thus far, and you recall the question I posed in my last post – – no, unfortunately my luggage did not arrive with me to Trieste … and it still hasn’t.  I fear its chasing me around Europe and Scandinavia!  Maybe we’ll be reunited someday, I hope.  In the meantime, I’m a man on a mission – – to identify the best, most interesting students to include in the student body at Holy Cross.  So, for now I say "buon giorno" to my friends in Duino, and I say "good night" to all of you, from The Thon Hotel, Bergen, Norway.

James T. Richardson
Associate Director of Admission
FACHEX Coordinator

6 mo: purple and white Crusader onesie w/matching bib
18 mo: purple and white Crusader cheerleader outfit
5 yrs: purple and white Crusader sweatsuit
12 yrs: purple and white Crusader basketball t-shirt
17 yrs: purple and white Crusader hoodie
22 yrs: black and white Crusader diploma

I bleed purple.  I always have.  My father, uncles, and aunts began the brainwashing at a young age.  Years of watching football games, attending basketball camps and visiting my sister’s dorm room convinced me that there was only one college for me.  As the application process approached, I took the search seriously and visited many campuses.  These visits, however, only strengthened my love for Holy Cross.  My decision was a no-brainer. 

My time spent on Mt. St. James revolved around student government, reading voraciously, and being a Crusader Superfan.  I sled on Kimball trays, tanned on Wheeler Beach, and climbed the Fenwick tower (not really).  On a daily basis I picked my English professors’ brains, sought help in the Calc Workshop, and repeated Spanish verbs in the MRC.  I attended a retreat, led a retreat and found comfort within the cozy walls of Campion.  I studied at Oxford, studied in my room, and studied in the fish bowl.  I soaked up everything this institution had to offer and still thirsted for more. 

At the end of my four years, I wasn’t quite ready to leave.  It’s been sixteen months since graduation and in that time I’ve spent my days (and many nights) gushing about my experience at HC and meeting potential students, many of whom share my passion. This year I’ll travel to North and South Carolina, Colorado, Westchester County, NY and Fairfield County, CT.  I hope to see you in my travels and would love the chance to tell you about my school!

Allison P. Rose ’06
Admissions Counselor

Hi! I’m Julia and I’m the newest addition to the Admissions staff.  Holy Cross is a beautiful place filled with warm and brilliant people, and though you might think Admissions folks are scary, after working here for a few weeks I can assure you we don’t go around scratching our beards and glaring at each other through thick bifocals.  Come to think of it, I’ve never seen anyone sneer. Not even once. 

I am very excited to meet you and hear your stories.  What are you passionate about?  What makes you come alive?  Think about it, just a little (or a lot – depending on your mood),  and then come tell me about it while I’m on the road in New Hampshire, Northern and Southern California, upstate New York, Western Massachusetts, and Washington D.C.   Do you really love Tater Tots, Italy, Jane Austen, or the Patriots?  Have you been on a mission to Central America, or to Bridge club with your grandma? Have you had any great falls lately?  We all have stories…they’re what make us human.  Cultivating your stories will make your essay writing and interviewing experiences that much easier, and that much more fun.  So please, don’t be afraid to try a few of them out on us. 

I grew up here in the great city of Worcester (In fact, Pat and I just discovered we were in the same nursery school class).  After college I took my Cultural Anthropology degree out to Los Angeles to try my hand at Television and Film Production.  The majority of my time was spent casting Documentary and Reality shows, and as fun and exciting as that was, I had a persistent itch to do something a little more helpful.   I ended up moving back to my beautiful hometown, and am thrilled to have joined the Holy Cross Admissions team. 

My friends say I’m a bit of a spaz, but I prefer to call it young at heart.  I am passionate about travel, photography, cooking, The Office, live music, and New England sports teams. 

Once again, we’re all looking forward to hearing about what makes you, uniquely you.

Julia Sanders
Admissions Counselor

What a beautiful day in London!  Bright skies, but cool 50-60 degree temps were the recipe for the day; perfect weather for buzzing around the Queen’s city.

The day started by leaving the Thistle Hotel, bags slung over shoulder, optimistic for the day.  I headed back for Heathrow, knowing I could connect with the Tube (as they affectionately refer to the underground here) there … and, honestly, hoping I would either be able to check my baggage for my flight to Italy tonight, or find a locker to store this behemoth in.  Storage .. its definitely the way to go.  I tried checking it, but the agents will only allow you to check baggage within a two hour timeframe prior to your departure (good reference information for all you travelers out there!).  So, I paid my 6.5 pound storage fee, and off to the tube I went.

London Tube Map (.pdf)

Packed in like sardines, everyone was going somewhere.  I, for one, was headed for the American School in London where I was certain I would be meeting with several very interested students.  Just over an hour later on the Piccidilly line, and a change at Green Park to the Jubilee line, and I was there.  Counselors and students both anxiously awaited to hear more about this small, liberal arts, highly regarded college in central Massachusetts they had only previously heard of.  One student, Will, had already been to campus in February, and although we were buried in snow at the time, he said he still loved what he saw saying, "what a great campus!  I had been to several other really nice places .. including some other Patriot League Colleges .. but none were as nice as Holy Cross!".  We spent some more time together, and when the questions had been exhausted, the students headed back to class, inspired to do more research on Holy Cross, and learn even more about what it was that makes us different.

Throughout the remainder of the day I spent more time in the tube, more time riding into the country on the train, and visiting with more students from other schools, hailing from a variety of countries, interested in possibly coming to Worcester for their next four years!  Interests ranged from Political Science, to history, to Pre-Med, to Soccer … each student was unique, each had different interests, and each had conjured up their own individual thoughts about what they wanted their college experience to be.  Certainly, you’ll do the same on your journey through the colleges and universities you visit along the way.

As my visits concluded for the day, I hailed a taxi back to Heathrow to collect my stored luggage, and wait for my flight to Trieste, Italy.  Luggage checked; flight delayed several hours.  Ultimately, the flight, and my connecting flight in Milan all worked out (a close call in Milan, but I made it!) …. but did my luggage make it?  Tune in next time to find out ……..

Ciao for now … from Trieste, Italy, on the Bulgaria border – – this is that Jim guy, signing off.

James T. Richardson
Associate Director of Admission
FACHEX Coordinator

September 17, 2007

4:30AM EST – I wake to the easy sounds of James Taylor coming through the radio.  My first thought of the day: snooze.

4:39 AM EST – I wake, for the second time, to the soft volume of the radio.  The James Taylor show has now left the nightstand, replaced by a female artist unknown to me (my wife clearly has selected this radio station).  My second thought of the day: snooze … but I know I cannot succumb to the temptation of the comforter and warmth of the pillow … I have a flight to catch!

4:41 AM EST – My feet hit the floor for the first time on this day, for this journey, with thoughts of the Thistle Hotel, the “tube”, and double-decker buses!  Destination: London … I’m ready.  Diversity of all kinds is something Holy Cross cherishes, and so this trip is all about bringing some additional international flair to campus.  I’ll be visiting with students from many different countries this week (more on that later), but the first step is to make it to Boston’s Logan International Airport on time for my 9AM flight.

5:13 AM EST – Packed, dressed, and ready to go, I sneak quietly into Olivia’s room (my 20-month old “Crusader”) for one last glimpse of my sleeping beauty.  Breathing heavy in her fleece pj’s, I know she’s warm and comfortable in dreamland somewhere – – a place for which, I admit, at the time I’m slightly jealous.

5:35 AM EST – I confirm I have the essentials … luggage: check.  Itinerary: check.  Tickets: check.  Passport: check.  iPod: full.  I collect one last kiss from my wife, and off I go, into the darkness of I-95 headed for Boston.

5:41 AM EST: Dunkin’ Donuts: check.

8:33 AM EST:  After navigating my way to a long-term parking lot that was so far away from anything remotely resembling an airport terminal it felt like Revere, MA, and making my way through 40 minutes of check-in, I board American Airlines flight 156.  Making my way to to seat 41F (in the center seat, of the center section of the Boeing 777 (my least favorite seat)), I check out those seated around me.  Next to me … a motley crew of four heavily tattooed, more than slightly disheveled men in their early 30’s, clearly rockers.  I would later come to learn the name of their band, as told to the flight attendant, is “The Darkness”; presumeably not producing the genre of music my wife would choose to wake up to.  Directly behind me, a child, screaming as if her molars were being extracted on the spot.  This continued for at least 70% of the flight.  Headphones: check.  Volume: MAX.  The incessant screaming was also somewhat tempered by the passengers in row 40, seats E and F – – a young mother in her early 30’s with a beautifully well-behaved child very reminiscent of my own little Olivia! She was a gem, and made me already miss Olivia more than I can describe here.  We played periodic games of peek-a-boo between the seats, waved back and forth, and took naps for most of the way across the North Atlantic.  If nothing else, it helped ease the molar extraction happening behind me.

8:13 PM London / 3:13 PM Worcester: We’ve “hopped the pond” as they say, and arrive safely at London’s Heathrow International Airport.  Next stop: The Thistle Hotel.

9:05 PM London / 4:05 PM Worcester: WHEW … after hopping the “H4 Hotel Hoppa”, I arrive nearly 12 hours later to my home away from home, nearly 4,000 miles from Worcester: the Thistle Hotel.   ‘night … blog you tomorrow.

James T. Richardson
Associate Director of Admission
FACHEX Coordinator

Starting the college search can be a daunting task.  I know, I’ve been there, twice!  It helps a lot if you can pick 2 or 3 features that colleges possess that are important to you (ex. urban/rural, pre-med program, swim team).  Identifying a few of these things narrows the field tremendously.  To continue narrowing the field attend a few college fairs.  Talk to the representatives from schools on your radar.  What they have to say may help you make the decision to continue to pursue that school or cross it off your list.  The more contacts you make the better informed your decisions will be and the more colleges will be aware of your interest.

Amanda Juriansz
Assistant Director of Community Outreach

Like many of you out there reading this blog, I am also learning about Holy Cross but as a staff member instead of as a prospective applicant.  I came on board to the Holy Cross admissions team a little over a month ago and have loved my time here so far.  Prior to HC, I worked for two years in the admissions office at Connecticut College and before that, I was studying hard as a an undergraduate at Washington and Lee.  Though I’ve spent the majority of my life here in the states, growing up in Richmond, VA, I was originally born in Cambodia and am half Cambodian and half Vietnamese.

Outside of admissions, much of my time these days is spent preparing for a baby that I’m expecting in early January.  So things like reading up on taking care of a baby, shopping for baby, etc…that’s what I spend much of my time out of the office doing these days.  However, I did, still do, and plan to have a life outside of my baby as well and in my free time, I enjoy listening to music.  I have genres that range from jazz to R&B to hip hop on my Ipod but on a daily basis tend to steer towards soul and jazz.  Aside from listening to music, I also sing on occasion and perform when I can in various functions at the Pomfret School, a boarding school in northeastern CT where I live and my husband works.  I also perform frequently in the comfort of my own home.  Outside of that, I also enjoy spending time with my husband, watching movies and TV shows (my favorites are the Cosby Show, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, and How Do I Look), shopping, reading, attending cultural events among a variety of things. 

So that’s me in a jiffy.  I look forward to meeting many of you on my travels, in my office, or via email and telephone calls.  I wish you all the best of luck as you wrap up your high school experience and prepare for the next chapter of your lives. 

Tran Kim-Senior
Assistant Director of Admissions
Coordinator of Multicultural Recruitment