Giffen rejoined the RE college counseling office in November after having served as a consultant for two years from 2019-21. He was joined by the rest of RE’s college counselors: Daniel Creasy, Aleny Garcia, Claudia Jolivert and Roger Caron.

“The most important thing I want you to know is this: We are here for you,” said Giffen, who previously served as director of college counseling at The Taft School, Choate Rosemary Hall, Chadwick International School (Songdo, Korea), and Montgomery Bell Academy, during the junior event. “We are here to help you … Please get to know us, and please help us tell your child’s story.”

Giffen introduced Marroquin, a 2006 Bowdoin graduate and first-generation college student who urged RE’s families to “try to tune out the noise” from the media and others about the college process. Marroquin also encouraged parents to let their children take the driver’s seat, advising them to assist and encourage their child’s curiosity and exploration.

At the end of the evening, parents met in groups with their child's assigned college counselor and heard about the college tour the school will offer in June 2022. They left armed with take-home handouts and information on everything from visiting schools to standardized testing.

They also departed with assurance that they and their children were in good hands. Head of School Penny Townsend welcomed parents to open the event, the first in-person college counseling parent event since early in 2020.

“We’ve never had such a strong and knowledgeable team in the office,” Townsend said. “My colleagues are experienced; they’re determined and accountable; they’re committed to the students and their families; and they’re really nice people who love what they are doing.”

During the session with sophomore parents, the college counseling office offered a presentation on the "nuts and bolts" of the college process designed to prepare sophomore families for the journey ahead. Garcia, Creasy, Jolivert and Caron explained the quantitative and qualitative parts of the college application, and shared guidance one what sophomores and their parents should do now to be ready.

They encouraged students to explore the curriculum, evaluate their strengths and interests, hone their passions and pursue interests with depth and sincerity.