The 2016 Orange County Share, Learn, and Connect Friday, March 4, 2016 7:30am to 3:00pm at Soka University of America Wifi Access: SUA-Guest Registration: 7:30 am Founders Hall Atrium Continental Breakfast available until 8:30 am Opening Session: 8:30 am to 9:30 am Welcome Welcome to Soka from Marilyn Gove, Manager of Admission Events & Programs, Soka University WACAC Update from Andy Losier, Associate Director of College Counseling, Sage Hill School, WACAC Membership Chair Keynote Address Presented by: Jodi Okun Author, Financial Advisor, and President of College Financial Aid Advisors For many years, parents and students have struggled with the timeframe of completing the FAFSA in January, receiving their financial aid award letters, and trying to make a college selection by May Some have felt that there isn’t enough time to fully consider this decision and that the crossover with the income tax return deadlines is too onerous In 2016, big changes will be implemented to help alleviate these concerns New FAFSA deadlines, use of earlier income information, and improved decision-making will be discussed About Jodi: Author Speaker Entrepreneur Financial Advisor Jodi Okun is one of the “Top 30 Social Influencers in Personal Finance & Wealth” according to Huffington Post As the founder of College Financial Aid Advisors, she has helped thousands of families successfully navigate the financial aid process and open up educational possibilities for their children, regardless of cost In addition to CFAA, Jodi’s background includes working as a financial aid consultant at Occidental and Pitzer College Every Thursday at p.m PST, Jodi hosts #CollegeCash, a Twitter chat devoted to connecting college-bound families with higher education professionals With more than 10 million impressions per week, #CollegeCash is a top resource for parents and students @JodiOkun has been cited as a top Twitter account on student financial aid Jodi is also an About.com Money Expert and the Brand Ambassador for Discover Student Loans Jodi is often quoted in the press and speaks frequently at conferences and events She is the author of the upcoming book Secrets of a Financial Aid Pro Wifi Access: SUA-Guest Session 1: 9:45 am to 10:30 am Redesigned SAT Suite of Assessments: Understanding Scores and Reporting - Founders 3rd floor The redesigned PSAT/NMSQT was administered in October, and the redesigned SAT will debut in March Come learn about the information the new assessments will provide to you and your students Topics covered include understanding the new scores, using concordance information, getting the most out of the new reporting portal, and creating personalized practice through Khan Academy Jim Bonner, Educational Manager, College Board Flight 1A 101 to LAX: A Boarding Pass to International Admissions at California Universities - Pauling 216 Representatives from a California community college, a California private university, and the University of California and California State University systems will address challenges of international students applying from U.S high schools This session will share admission evaluation practices and provide high school counselors with recommendations on how to prepare this population for admissions Olivia Chen, Assistant Director of Admission Evaluation, UCLA Traci Lew, Associate Director of Admissions & Outreach, Cal Poly Pomona Kristoffer Toribio, Assistant Director, International Admissions and Recruitment, Orange Coast College Effective Counseling for Student-Athletes - Wangari Maathai 403 Advising athletes as they go through their college recruiting experience is substantially different from counseling students The majority of high school counselors receive virtually no formalized training in this area This session will provide you with an overview and timeline for the recruiting process, as well as how you can teach your athletes the steps needed to initiate their own successful recruiting experience David Stoeckel, Independent Educational Consultant, College Recruiting Group Launching a Dreamers Resource Center Wangari Maathai 402 Overview of how to establish a center that serves undocumented and DACA students and their families We will provide a timeline that covers how to determine physical location, campus liaisons, services needed, and legal recourse for those who visit the center This includes identifying space for the center, creating a campus and community taskforce to engage all stakeholders for the project’s progress, and activities that promote the awareness needed to include students who need to selfidentify due to their immigration issues Sylvia Juarez-Magana, Educational Consultant, Juarez Consulting Inc Cindy G Florez, Educational Consultant, Juarez Consulting Inc Wifi Access: SUA-Guest Lunch and College Fair: 10:30 am to 11:45 am Soka Bistro – Bamboo Corridor located between Student Center and Pauling Hall An early lunch will be available for conference attendees at the Soka Bistro (second floor of the Student Center) The college fair will take place in the Bamboo Corridor (just outside of the Soka Bistro) College fair participants include: Arizona State University Oregon State Augustana College Soka University Chapman University Syracuse University College of St Benedict/St John’s University The Art Institutes Colorado Mesa University Trinity University Concordia University – Irvine University of Arizona Emerson College University of Florida Hawaii Pacific University University of Idaho Indiana University University of Nevada, Reno Marist College University of New Mexico Marymount California University University of Redlands Maryville University University of Tennessee Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Villanova University Health Sciences Boston Wifi Access: SUA-Guest Session 2: 12:00 pm to 12:45 pm University of California: Updates - Founders 3rd floor Join us for system-wide UC updates from UCLA's Director of Undergraduate Admissions This session will walk through the upcoming changes within the UC system, news from the 20152016 admissions cycle, and what's ahead for the UC campuses Gary Clark, Director of Undergraduate Admissions, UCLA Helping Your Students Choose Between the ACT and the Redesigned SAT - Pauling 216 Parents and students are currently flooded with information and mixed messages on how to choose between the ACT and the redesigned SAT In this session, we'll share the latest information on both exams We'll also discuss best practices for counseling families who are trying to decide between the ACT and the redesigned SAT Nick Standlea, President, Test Prep Gurus You Gotta Have Faith (Or Not!): Faith and Fit in College Admission Wangari Maathai 403 We’ll provide solid, unbiased information so that counselors can make educated comparisons between religiously affiliated and secular colleges We believe that students should be aware of all of their options while they search for the best-fit colleges for them Which is the right fit for your students? Let’s find out! Leigh Weissman, College Counselor, Collegewise; Former Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Sacred Heart University Lynn Maloney, College Counselor, Collegewise; Former Assistant Director of Admissions at University of Dayton Talking WUE: We Update and Educate Wangari Maathai 402 WUE (pronounced “woo-wee”) is the Western Undergraduate Exchange, a regional tuitionreciprocity agreement that enables students from US Western states to enroll at participating two- and four-year public institutions at reduced tuition The WUE program offered at 150+ institutions has some similarities among all and many variations causing confusion and misunderstandings Panelists from WUE institutions will explain the commonalities and address the nuances Counselors will be equipped to assist students looking at out-of-state schools that offer WUE and ultimately reduced tuition! Gary K Bednorz, Recruitment Specialist, University of New Mexico Vanessa Ea, Principal Admissions Counselor, Western United States, University of Colorado – Colorado Springs Wifi Access: SUA-Guest Session 3: 1:00pm to 1:45pm How Do I Make My Essay, Like, Deep? Founders 3rd floor Combining techniques from Nonviolent Communication and screenwriting, Ethan Sawyer (College Essay Guy) wants to equip you with tools to help your students bring emotional layers and complexity to their personal statements It all begins by helping students identify their deeper needs Sample essays and handouts provided Come ready to work Ethan Sawyer, College Essay Guy California State Universities: Updates Pauling 216 Join us for system-wide CSU updates from our local CSU admissions office This session will walk through the upcoming changes within the CSU system, news from the 2015-2016 admissions cycle, and what's ahead for the CSU campuses Lisa Rubio, Admissions Operations Officer, Cal State Fullerton Non-Cognitive Skills: Keys to Student Success -Wangari Maathai 403 This workshop will help professionals identify, understand, and address the stressors that our students experience on an everyday basis Environmental, socio-emotional, and psychological influences impact our students’ abilities to perform in the classroom Participants will learn about key social and emotional stressors and discuss the nonacademic challenges that firstgeneration and low-income students face As we look to understand the correlation between non-academic factors and college readiness, attendees will learn about specific strategies being applied by college access professionals Jack Friedman, Founder, Study Smart Tutors Cuauhtemoc Solorio, Project Coordinator, California Lutheran University Upward Bound Naviance Best Practices Wangari Maathai 402 Learn how to integrate Naviance into your school setting The speakers, who have utilized Naviance for the past 10 years, will talk about their experiences, how to counsel students to find synergy between them and potential schools, and how to utilize Naviance for college documents Olivia Huie, Director of Counseling, JSerra Catholic High School Janet Miller, Registrar, JSerra Catholic High School Campus Tour (Optional): 2:00pm to 3:00pm Soka University will offer a campus tour Meet student tour guides at the Atrium in Founders Hall Wifi Access: SUA-Guest SESSION NOTES Wifi Access: SUA-Guest Thank you to our speakers for sharing their time and talents with our attendees and to our volunteers for donating their time and energy Thank you to the admission staff of Soka University of America Special thanks to Marilyn Gove for her partnership, patience, and hard work in planning this event Special thanks to Amanda Hotinger and Angela DeWolf King for coordinating our college fair attendees Wifi Access: SUA-Guest