Welcome to the NYSACAC Newsletter! Please feel free to send any feedback or suggestions to [email protected]. We hope you enjoy the Newsletter!

                                                                                              - NYSACAC Newsletter Committee

I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday season and that 2025 brings happiness and success to our membership. As we look ahead, the next few months are going to be very busy for our association, with several programs scheduled. Please keep an eye out for our emails, and also continue to check our website for updated information. 

I am so lucky to be your president and work with such amazing board members who are all volunteers that manage their roles within NYSACAC, their professional jobs, and their personal lives.

If you are interested in joining a committee and becoming more active within NYSACAC, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] so we can find a great opportunity for you. 

Lastly, thank you for all your continued support. I hope to see you at one of our upcoming events in the spring!

 - Dave Follick, NYSACAC President

Pitchers and catchers have reported for spring training, which can only mean one thing; the NYSACAC Annual Conference and Coming Together Conference registration is opening!  The Steering Committee has been working diligently to dot all of their i's and cross all of their t's in preparation for registration. Hartwick College has been in full planning mode and cannot wait to welcome everyone to campus in less than 4 months. 

This year’s Annual Conference theme is “Striking a Balance” and will be held June 4-6.  The Coming Together Conference (CTC) is June 3-4 and will be centered around the theme “Leveling the Field”.  CTC is excited to welcome dynamic keynote speaker, Timothy L. Fields, co-author of “The Black Families Guide to College Admissions: A Conversation about Education, Parenting, and Race.”

Attendees can look forward to the traditional NYSACAC programming like college tours, golf outing, Special Interest Group (SIG) meetups, and engaging professional development sessions.  While the program will look similar to previous years, Hartwick College has some surprises planned...  

• Wednesday night will be an evening of socials and excursions.  Attendees will be able to select their social activity on the registration form for The Baseball Hall of Fame, Ommegang Brewery, or on-campus musical entertainment.   

• Thursday evening will offer networking FUNraisers like bocce/cornhole, Wingo, Paint n Sip, etc.  Following that will be a tropical themed dinner on campus and entertainment.  

*Hotel Block- Hotels are in high demand during the baseball tournament season in Oneonta, NY.  In addition to on-campus housing, Hartwick College has secured a block of hotel rooms.

 Anyone interested in staying at the nearby hotels can book their room directly through Hartwick College.  More information can be found on the registration form. 

*Sponsorship Opportunities- There are still some sponsorship opportunities available.  We offer customizable opportunities for vendors AND colleges.  Please contact [email protected] if you are interested in being a sponsor.  

*Grants- Secondary members who do not have funding to attend the conference and would like to apply for a grant can submit a grant application starting in March. Colleges and universities who would like to sponsor a grant can submit the Grant Commitment Form and help send a secondary counselor to the conference.  

*Submit a proposal- Call for proposalsis open until March 1. Given the timing of this newsletter, we will be extending the deadline for proposals. 

Please continue to check the conference website  as more information becomes available.

We look forward to seeing you at Hartwick College, June 3-6!

-Lauren Sangimino, NYSACAC President-Elect

Election process underway

The nomination process for the Executive Board closed on January 31st. We have a wonderful slate of candidates nominated for open positions including: President-Elect, Vice President for Communications, Secretary, and three Regional Representative positions.

We appreciate the members who self-nominated, and indicated their willingness to take on important leadership roles in our association. The Nominating Committee reviewed each candidate and established this year’s ballot. Voting to determine our future leadership team is set to open soon for all NYSACAC members. Please make sure you vote!

Awards

Each year, we recognize the best of the best in our profession at the Annual NYSACAC Conference in June. Please consider nominating an outstanding colleague for one of the following awards: 

• President’s Award

• Distinguished Service Award (CBO/High School/College)

• Inclusion, Access & Success Award

• Rising Star Award

 The deadline for award nominations is April 25, 2025 at 5pm. 

- Heidi Green, Immediate Past President

Procrastination: a common experience that can make us feel dreary and angry with ourselves, or with another.

But what is it really? Procrastination isn’t laziness. It comes from many different layers of emotions.

When we feel overloaded with information, the mind’s natural response is “Stop.” We aren’t purposely doing this; it’s the mind’s way of saying, “This is too much.” The Mind needs time to build the neural connections in our brain for the information to make sense. The best way forward is to take that break, relax our mind, and return, taking bite-size pieces of information that the brain can wire into neural connections. Slowly, the overwhelm stops and the project we’re working on gets more exciting. When we really want to do something but keep on distracting ourselves, then the the emotion behind the procrastination is deeper.

Maybe this is an important project, too much of a challenge for us, and we feel we might fail at it. We don’t want to feel like a failure and feel rejected. The mind’s job is to keep us away from rejection.

Sometimes, we may feel we don’t deserve this for ourselves, this success, this feeling of achievement, or the feeling of freedom. Somewhere, a pattern in our mind keeps firing amongst our neurons in the background, making us believe, “I can’t have what I want.” The more we want to succeed, the more this neurological pattern keeps reminding us, “Wait, you can’t get what you want. You’re not supposed to succeed.” What can we do? This is when we must accept our feelings.

By accepting our feelings, “Yes, I can fail. I may get rejected. Maybe I can’t get what I want,” we are giving our feelings their due respect. Respecting our feelings allows us to move on. Feeling our pain at a deeper level helps us release it.

We could guide our students to pause and delve deeper when they keep delaying. Is it overwhelming? A mile-long journey starts with one step at a time with several breaks to reset ourselves.

Or is it something else? Tell them: It’s ok to feel like a failure. Ask them to sit with it, release it, allowing ourselves to move on. Share with them: It’s okay to explore the feelings of not getting what we want, only feeling and not really thinking. Every time we do this, we can watch the procrastination melt away, and we are emotionally able to move forward.

Let procrastination come. It may be a signal to face something we’ve been denying in ourselves and others. We can get what we want, and we deserve it!

Written by Rachna Kejriwal

The Princeton University Summer Journalism Program (PSJP) is a free, year-long college preparation and journalism program for high school juniors from limited-income backgrounds.

The program includes three weeks of virtual workshops, 10 days of overnight programming on Princeton's campus, and a year of college application support. All program expenses, including transportation to and from NJ, housing, and meals, are paid for by the University.  

The summer 2025 application is now live and is due Feb 24, 2025. While encouraged, prior journalism experience is not required. Students who enjoy writing, history, politics, leadership, and civic engagement tend to thrive in the program. 

Interested students and staff can send questions to [email protected] or visit our website: psjp.princeton.edu. We welcome collaboration and student nominations. Registration and nomination links are under "Connect with PSJP" on the website.

Camp College Committee:

See the flyer above for more information about our upcoming information sessions!

Details are available at nysacac.org/camp-college. 

College Fair Committee:

We would like to announce our Spring 2025 College Fairs:

Tuesday, March 18th 10:00 am – 1:00 pm at SUNY Maritime College

Wednesday, April 2nd 6:00 - 8:00 pm at Our Lady of Lourdes High School

Additionally, we are excited to announce that we have created a NYSACAC College Fair Registry! We hope that by providing a running list of college fairs for the Spring 2025 recruitment season and future cycles, we can increase access to important information for all members as we plan our calendars. Please submit information regarding your upcoming college fairs and events to be added to the registry!

Lastly, we are looking for host sites for our Fall 2025 College Fairs. If your institution is interested and available in hosting a college fair, please email [email protected]!

Professional Development: 

We will be hosting four Regional Forum events in 2025 and all members are encouraged to attend! Each program features the theme “Admissions Intelligence: AI's Role in Shaping College Admission.” A brief keynote address will be followed by Q&A with a curated panel of professionals from both sides of the desk. Optional campus tours will be available.

Registration is open now (free for members!): https://www.nysacac.org/regional-forums.

Four in-person locations:

School-College-CBO Relations Committee:

We’re excited to announce the spring series of “Ketchups” with NYSACAC! These are free, quick, and casual virtual sessions designed to help you stay updated on what’s happening in the world of college admissions counseling — from both sides of the desk. Whether you’re looking to expand your knowledge, prepare for conference season, or simply connect with colleagues, there’s something for everyone.

Upcoming Sessions:

How to Effectively Execute an Instant Decision Day

Date: March 12, 2025

Time: 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM

If you’ve ever wondered how to pull off a successful Instant Decision Day, this session is for you! HS Counselor (TBD) and Emily Trotman (St. John Fisher University) will share tips, best practices, and lessons learned to help you create a smooth and impactful experience for students and staff alike.

What to Expect at Conference

Date: May 21, 2025

Time: 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Is this your first NYSACAC conference, or has it been a while since you last attended? No problem! Lauren Sangimino (Stony Brook University) and Bryan Gross (Hartwick College) will give you the inside scoop on what to expect and how to make the most of your time at the conference at Hartwick College.

These sessions are open to everyone, so grab your lunch and join us for a quick “ketchup” this spring. Let’s learn and grow together!

Winter Institute:

Thank you to all who joined us for Winter Institute 2025.  We would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to our host sites, St. Francis College and LeMoyne College!

We were thrilled to be joined by 45 new professionals between our two events this January. Our participants were able to network with one another, learn from seasoned professionals, and engage with a fun day filled with information and community building. We hope that all who attended took away valuable insights and are excited for their futures in our profession!

Thank you also to our wonderful presenters: Jeremy Ducos, Anna Ragno, Dennis Vazquez, Geneva Rodriguez, Austin Brass, and Brenna May!

If you’re interested in getting involved with Winter Institute planning for 2026, please reach out to us at [email protected]. Whether you are interested in hosting, presenting, mentoring, or have ideas to share, we’re open to hearing from you.

Community College & Transfer

The Community College/Transfer Special Interest Group (SIG) hosted a successful Transfer Coffee Talk on Friday, December 6, 2024. Over 35 participants attended, sharing their wealth of knowledge and reflecting on the 2024 transfer highlights. Various transfer topics were discussed, making it an engaging and informative event. Some participants offered to share more detailed presentations on a variety of topics, including working with veteran students, transfer credit systems, and best practices. The CC/Transfer SIG will be hosting another event in the upcoming months (think March). Please be on the lookout for the next one. Can’t wait to see you! 

Want to share your expertise or have another topic you’d like to bring to the group? Just let us know by emailing us at [email protected].

Want your content featured in our next newsletter? Send your updates and content to us at [email protected]

Contact Info:

New York State Association for College Admission Counseling

P.O. Box 28

Red Hook, NY 12571

[email protected]