Each year, the admissions department holds interviews with a select few Hillsdale College seniors in hopes of hiring new admission counselors.
“Most counselors are Hillsdale graduates because they are the best qualified,” former director of admissions Jeff Lantis said. “Who better to articulate the mission than a graduate that studied and experienced it both inside and outside the classroom?”
Several who work and have worked in admissions admitted they didn’t know what exactly they wanted in a career.
Admissions counselor Kelly Scott, ’14, who majored in American Studies, is enjoying the opportunity to travel and develop her skills as she figures out what she wants to do.
“Planning is the number one thing because you only have a certain amount of things done whether that’s in the office reading applications or interviewing students,” Scott said.
“Confidence I’ve grown a lot. Going to a city where you don’t know anyone, you’re traveling alone, that’s given me confidence in my ability to present myself, the college, and be independent. Representing an organization and having people connect with that is invaluable like in business. That’s a skill which translates well into sales, public relations, teaching. I know a lot of alumni now that work at think tanks, government agencies, law firms, marketing positions.”
Similarly, Aaron Tracey, ’14, who studied business marketing, has found admissions a nice transition.
“What’s made it easy is I’m starting with great people,” Tracey said. “I’m not a student anymore, but I’m still in the student environment and working with people who are also making that transition. I’m able to talk to professors, employees I’ve grown a relationship with. Hillsdale is a big school in terms of connection. I want to go into sales, and you’re selling a college education. That’s something people are learning intangibly, but it’s the experience you’re selling. I saw this as a great opportunity to give back.”
Previous counselors have furthered their education by attending seminary or graduate school or solicited a variety of jobs from teaching to working for a think tank, according to Lantis.
For Ashleigh Dunham, ’07, who studied marketing management, admissions were a great start. She moved into event planning and fundraising for nonprofits after two years as a counselor. Currently she is the director of corporate development for Forgotten Harvest in Detroit, the number one food rescue program in the country.
Dunham became interested in admissions when her mentor told her about the skills and connections developed from the job
“It was a perfect job to support her into a job of philanthropy,” Dunham said. “Knowing that is what I wanted to do eventually, I followed in her footsteps.”
Dunham’s experience in admissions and learned organizational and people skills would contribute to obtaining her present position working with corporate donors to secure volunteers and the community’s charitable support.
“Key skills I learned in admissions was to cultivate relationships, being able to communicate effectively the ends of an organization, and learning how to plan my work,” Dunham said. “The opportunity was a good fit, and I believed in the mission.”
Pursuing a mission in which she believed also brought Shannon Armbrust, ’10, who majored in Christian Studies and also studied Economics and Spanish, to admissions and to pursue her education through a fellowship program with Trinity Forum Academy in Washington, D.C., which combines theology, philosophy, and cultural studies to understand life in response to God’s call.
While admissions were a challenge for Armbrust in the beginning, standing “terrified” for her first presentation in front 200 people, she said she gained knowledge about herself.
“I saw recruiters who couldn’t sell their ‘product’ because they didn’t believe in it,” Armbrust said. “I learned it is important for me to work for a company I am excited about.”
After two years with admissions, Armbrust joined the nine month fellowship where she was further educated, especially focusing on the role of fathers in contemporary and Biblical society. Upon its completion, she was asked to stay as their office manager and events coordinator.
“I have done everything from event planning to accounting to recruiting to development,” Armbrust said. “The variety of the tasks is similar to admissions, and it’s similarly an organization I am able to sell because I not only believe in it, but I am a product of it.”
For Colleen McGuiness, ’04, who studied speech communications and journalism, however, admissions became a career. After working six years, McGuiness left to labor in a trade association to use her communication skills only to return to recruit for the college and further connections with alumni.
“I was looking for something different,” McGuiness said. “I learned a lot, but I missed Hillsdale.”
In the next months, McGuiness’s focus will turn to creating a network of alumni and parents to benefit admissions and career services.
“I ended up loving it, and it ended up emerging into a career,” McGuiness said. “It naturally is evolving into working with alumni. A lot of alumni I’m working with now, some I recruited and knew in admissions, so it was fun to see what they’re doing in their careers and with families.”
McGuiness plans to remain in higher education and believes her role may become progress toward development and fundraising.
“That’s one thing I know for sure after leaving, how much I missed working for admissions and something fulfilling,” McGuiness said. “Hillsdale is unique in higher education. There’s few missions as important as this one.”
Although pursuing development, McGuiness still utilizes her journalism skills as a ghost freelancer for senators in Washington state too.
“Working for the college, there’s endless possibilities,” Tracey said.