COLLEGE COUNSELOR EARNS ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

COLLEGE COUNSELOR EARNS ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Patrick O’Connor of Birmingham received the Michigan Association for College Admission Counseling (MACAC) Achievement Award at MACAC’s annual conference last month.

In presenting the award, MACAC Past President Mike Kolar identified four efforts O’Connor has led in the past year that demonstrated a “tireless efforts on behalf of all students to gain access to college admission and college admission counseling.”

These efforts included:

 Development of a mini-workshop on the essentials of college admission counseling. O’Connor coordinated the presentation of this workshop at nine locations throughout Michigan; an estimated 1,500 high school counselors and school administrators received this information as part of a program highlighting the results of the Michigan Merit Exam.
 The publication of a highly-acclaimed book for high school students and their families on the college selection process. College is Yours in 600 Words or Less gives all families access to private counselor-quality information on how to make a wise college choice, and has been praised by families and counselors alike for increasing awareness and access to college.
 Publication of several articles designed to raise public awareness to the importance of good college admission counseling, and the need for better training of high school counselors in this area.
 Advocacy within the State and Federal governments to improve counselor training in college admissions.

“It’s an honor to work with my fellow counselors and college colleagues in MACAC,” said O’Connor, who is a past president of MACAC and its national organization. “Few people recognize how hard these individuals work to offer quality college choices to all students.”

O’Connor is on the political science faculty at Oakland Community College and director of College Counseling at Roeper School. He credits both institutions for their support of his efforts.

“At OCC, I have the privilege of working with dedicated faculty and amazingly focused students, many of whom are the first in their family to ever go to college. That inspiration, combined with the love of learning and mutual support that lies at the heart of Roeper, impels me to do all I can for every student in helping them achieve their dreams.”