Published in Be Yourself·PinnedPublic Displays of AchievementWhat’s behind the trench coat — Do you ever get the feeling your dog is judging you with her nose? I do. She sometimes stops mid-step, stares at me, her wet nose pulsating while her black eyes pierce through me. …Achievers4 min read
PinnedColleges Ask Applicants to Prove Their WorthAnd A New Kind Of Secular Confession — The core purpose of The University of Texas at Austin is, “To Transform Lives for the Benefit of Society.” Please share how you believe your experience at UT-Austin will prepare you to “Change the World” after you graduate. When my students begin the process of writing their essays that will…College3 min read
Jun 14A Letter To The Most Responsible Graduating ClassAnd their parents — This address was originally delivered to a Boys Team Charity League Chapter in Reno, Nevada in 2022. You’re a remarkable group. Really. I’m not just saying that. Research also says you’re remarkable in ways teens have never been before. Research has already shown that your generation is different- we’re calling…Graduation7 min read
Mar 13, 2020Forget the Middle Class; Who’s Part of the Decision-Making Class?Why education, not just money, is what levels the playing field — Wealth equality has never really been a priority in America; we hustle, and we try to out-hustle everyone else on our journey toward the top of a ladder that we really do believe each of us has an equal opportunity to climb. No, equal sharing of wealth might not be…Education4 min read
Jan 20, 2020Technical Education Alone Will Not Pull People Out of PovertyBut it might feel like a quick fix — Sara was a pragmatist. Like many in her generational cohort born between 1995 and 2012 (iGen), she was a realist and she saw college as training for a job. However, unlike many of her peers in the wealthy village on the edge of Lake Tahoe, she was an undocumented child…Employment8 min read
Oct 8, 2019How did “Latchkey” Kids Become Snowplow Parents?The “latchkey generation,” also known as Generation x (those born between 1965 and 1979) is now raising teenagers in a way that may be called “compensating” for the lack of attention they may have received from their parents. If you went to school in the 80s, you may have very…Parenting4 min read
Published in Beyond Prestige·Sep 30, 20193+2 College Engineering ProgramsHow these Dual Degree Programs Can Offer the Best of Both Worlds and End the Ill-Informed Mad Dash Toward Engineering — In his college applications, Peter wants to go into engineering. But he’s actually interested in farming, and cars, and foreign languages. Why does Peter — and why do so many high school students — claim they want to go into engineering? They have almost no context about what this degree…Education3 min read
Aug 5, 2019What’s Missing from the Debate Over Free College EducationWhy Aren’t Candidates Talking about Price Capping? — The major democratic positions on college education can be broken into 3 main categories, as outlined below. Yet, I found myself squirming during the debates. …Higher Education2 min read
Published in Beyond Prestige·Jul 15, 2019How Many Students Do Elite Universities Need to Shut Out Before We Stop Knocking?I’ve always been that person who walks away from crowds, from lines, and from books that everyone is reading. I’m not trying to be cool or alternative (the hipster persona just doesn’t come naturally to me), but I simply can’t get excited about things that are “at capacity,” overly saturated…Education2 min read
Published in Beyond Prestige·Jul 8, 2019How Can We Fall Back in Love with the Great American University?We’ve fallen out of love with the American University. It’s just not doing what we want anymore, so we’re in an unhappy relationship that we can’t seem to get out of. Something keeps pulling us back in, like we feel there are no other fish in the sea. To be…Education3 min read
