College Counseling Summer Speaker Series

Interviewed by College Counseling instructor Dr. Esther Hugo, Mr. Moreno will discuss mental health, learning loss, and grade inflation. Also, Mr. Moreno will address the impact of SCOTUS and FAFSA on this year's college decisions.

Dr. Esther Hugo holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership from UCLA and a Master’s in Counseling from Loyola Marymount University. Dr. Hugo is one of the first online instructors in the UCLA College Counseling Certificate Program; in 2008 she won the Distinguished Instructors Award. Dr. Hugo serves as the inter-association chair for the Western Association for College Admission Counseling, a position she created to foster collaboration among like-minded organizations. In addition, she is past president of the Western Association for College Admission Counseling and has twice served on the NACAC Board of Directors. Most recently, Dr. Hugo published a chapter in the 6th edition of the NACAC book "Fundamentals of College Counseling", which won a national award. 

Interviewed by Dr. Jeff Neill, Mr. Boeckenstedt will discuss the test-optional movement and explore the focus on hyper-selective (highly rejective) universities.

Dr. Jeff Neill has over 23 years of experience working as a school counselor in six different high schools on four continents.  With previous stays in the USA, Taiwan, and Senegal, he currently serves as the Director of College Counseling at Graded—The American School of Sao Paulo, Brazil. He is a member of the International ACAC Professional Development Committee. Dr. Neill is a faculty member at the College Board’s Summer Institute for International Counselors and sits on the College Board’s, Cialfo’s, and Times Higher Education’s (THE-BMI) international advisory boards. 

Interviewed by Yetunde Daniels Rubinstein, Mr. Bello will address the myths that fuel admissions misinformation and derail sound decision-making.

Yetunde Daniels Rubinstein is an instructor in the College Counseling Certificate program at UCLA Extension. Ms. Rubinstein is the founder and principal consultant of Arising Educational Consultants. Ms. Rubinstein's teaching, learning, and education approach is heavily influenced by her life experiences as an immigrant, DI athlete, US Army military veteran, and parent. She is dedicated to impacting systematic and permanent change as a cultural competence practitioner offering novel solutions to old problems. She earned her B.A. in psychology and M.Ed. in personnel counseling and personnel services. She is a doctoral candidate working toward her Ed.D. at the University of San Francisco.

Interviewed by Cyndy McDonald, Mr. Van Buskirk will engage in a frank conversation exploring future college admissions practices. Peter will introduce a student-centered approach to finding the right colleges to apply to. This includes five elements of a "best fit" that parents, students and counselors can use to help students find the place best suited for them after high school graduation.

Cyndy McDonald has thirty years of experience as a high school and middle school counselor, working with Title 1 schools in Central California. With a passion for helping students access higher education, Ms. McDonald helped found an AVID program, an outreach program for first generation, under-represented students; Cyndy McDonald is also the founder of Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA). She has served on several boards/organizations, including National Association for College Admissions (NACAC), Western Association for College Admissions (WACAC), American Institute of Certified Educational Planners (CEP), Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success (the Coalition Application), Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), and National College Advocacy Group (NCAG).