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Presidential Message
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Kentucky Association for College Admission Counseling
KYACAC President
Allie Kerns
College Counselor (A-K), Trinity High School
Greetings, KYACAC!
My name is Allie Kerns, and I am the 2018-2019 President for the Kentucky Association for College Admission Counseling (KYACAC). We are one of 23 affiliates across the world for the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). As I have learned more about NACAC and the other affiliates, my belief that KYACAC and NACAC will positively impact your day-to-day work has grown stronger. NACAC and KYACAC provide you with the ability to network with school counselors, college admissions counselors, and other professionals; to share best practices; and to learn how to best advocate for our students. If you are not already a member of KYACAC and NACAC, I strongly encourage you to join. Let’s work together to promote college access and help our students succeed.
Key upcoming opportunities:
Did you know that members of KYACAC can receive grants to pay for their attendance at professional development events like NACAC, CCIE, and the State Conference? Furthermore, we provide EILA credit for those who attend. KYACAC sets aside $5000 in money each year to support counselors who wish to attend conferences but face funding challenges – really, and there’s no catch. In fact, we hope that it’s reason enough to inspire your involvement in the organization and your efforts to provide support to students with whom you work. You simply need to be a member to take advantage of these funds. NACAC also offers additional grant opportunities. I am currently serving on the NACAC Imagine Grant committee and have not seen an application from KYACAC yet! The application will open soon for the 2019 year. If you’ve ever wanted to take advantage of KYACAC’s annual conference, NACAC’s conference, GWI, or create a new program in KYACAC, then please APPLY! If you have questions, I am more than happy to assist you with any of these funding opportunities.
I have always been fortunate to work at places that support my involvement with KYACAC and NACAC. However, I understand that many of you may not have that support at your home institution or high school. Regardless, I encourage you to become involved, even if you have to fight for it. In our profession, our goal is to serve our students. We cannot do that unless we are learning and collaborating with each other. Given the current climate surrounding education, we need to work together, now more than ever. Excuses not to be involved are no longer an option. You can make the time by planning ahead. We can help find ways to fund you – all you have to do is ask.
Without a doubt, my involvement with both organizations has positively impacted my ability to do my job. Each moment that I am doing something with or for KYACAC or NACAC, I learn something new. Whether it is information to take back to the KYACAC leadership team to move our organization forward, or information on new ways to reach and assist my students, my involvement has kept me nimble in my ability to adapt. I am a firm believer that doing things the same way “because they’ve always been done that way” is not a valid excuse. We cannot be afraid to try new things. Further, colleagues that I have met through KYACAC and NACAC have become a second family to me. These people have influenced my life and have helped me become a better college counselor. We all need that support system.
Benefits of being a member of KYACAC and NACAC:
This is a short list of benefits that being a member of KYACAC and NACAC offers. I hope that you will consider joining. Or, if you’re already a member, becoming an active participant – we have some upcoming initiatives for which we need your assistance. I encourage you to visit www.kyacac.org or www.nacacnet.org for more information on membership and what the organizations do. I hope to see you very soon. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or any members of the leadership team.
Best,
Allie Kerns
College Counselor (A-K), Trinity High School
President, Kentucky Association for College Admission Counseling