NACAC - Spring 2020 - 7

COLLEAGUES' CORNER
ALEXANDRA CARROZZA
Associate Director of College Counseling
The Lawrenceville School (NJ)
NACAC member since 2011

Founded in 1810, The Lawrenceville School offers a comprehensive, coeducational
program for more than 800 students, grades nine through post-graduate, who come
from 33 states and 33 countries.

WHAT HAS SURPRISED YOU MOST ABOUT
WORKING AT A BOARDING SCHOOL?
There are lots of parallels between my
undergraduate experience at a liberal arts
college and life at a boarding school. It's one of
the reasons that drew me to the role of college
counseling in a residential high school. Most
special of all is getting to know students in a
variety of contexts, as the relationships you

cultivate with students can only grow stronger
when they stretch beyond just a singular focus
of college counseling. I have worked with
students through their college process who
were formerly my academic advisees as ninth
graders or those I coached on an intramural
team, and seeing those students grow from
their first year on campus to the last is
incredibly rewarding.

KRISTEN ENGLISH
Vice President for Enrollment Management
Monmouth College (IL)
NACAC member since 2014

Monmouth College is a private liberal arts, college offering majors in the natural
sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities.

HOW INTENSE IS THE PRESSURE AS AN
ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT VP FOR A
TUITION-DEPENDENT COLLEGE, AND HOW
DO YOU HANDLE IT?
Immense; and usually with wine, yoga, a sense
of humor, and my best attempt at humility.
Recruitment is incredibly challenging in today's
market, and you're tasked with articulating
the challenges to your trustees and campus
community, but then figuring out how to overcome
them and do well anyway. Marketing does not
create demand, as much as I wish it did. I try to be
radically candid with my president, my staff, and
others across campus so we can make informed

decisions rooted in optimistic, but ultimately
realistic, expectations.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUNG
WOMEN IN THE MIDST OF DECIDING
WHETHER OR NOT TO STAY IN AN
ADMISSION CAREER?
Every woman gets to make her own decisions
about what's best for her. But watching so many
admission offices hemorrhage talented women
has made me cringe since the beginning of my
career! I really hope more women consider
sticking with admission. And as managers, I
believe it's on us to give them reasons to stay.

WHAT WAYS DO YOU LIKE TO RECHARGE
DURING THE DAY?
I have been conscious about creating time in my
schedule to take care of our dog, Penny, who
requires lots of long walks. While I may miss out
on some human interaction at lunchtime, it's a
great release from the day to be able to take her
outside and collect my thoughts as I move into
the afternoon. I realize this is only possible due in
large part to working at a boarding school, where I
live right off campus!
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO
ADMISSION PROFESSIONALS LOOKING TO
CHANGE ROLES OR INSTITUTIONS?
Each time I've entered the search for a new role,
I have informed my supervisors ahead of time.
Some young people are hesitant to keep their
managers in the loop, but they are ultimately
going to be the ones who will endorse you. After
Continued on page 8

We must find ways to evolve as a profession and
at the individual office level so that women see
opportunities for themselves beyond their mid-20s
and after they have children, if that's what they
choose to do.
YOU HAVE WORKED FOR MANY TYPES
OF INSTITUTIONS THROUGHOUT YOUR
CAREER. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO A
PROFESSIONAL IN ADMISSION WHO
BELIEVES THEY COULD ONLY RECRUIT
FOR THE SCHOOL THEY THEMSELVES
ATTENDED?
Once you truly believe that the college search
is about each student finding their own best
fit, it's easier to see how your alma mater may
or may not be that for any one person.
WHAT DO YOU MOST VALUE ABOUT
YOUR PROFESSIONAL NETWORK? HOW
DO YOU USE YOUR PROFESSIONAL
NETWORK?
What I value most is the understanding-
no one can celebrate or commiserate with
Continued on page 8

SPRING 2020

7
NACAC - Spring 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NACAC - Spring 2020
