What an Admissions Committee (& Everyone Else) Is Looking For:
What an Admissions Committee (& Everyone Else) Is Looking For: We all know about the perfect GPA, the perfect standardized test scores, the perfectly polished essays, and the coveted leadership experiences. Millions of kids across the country qualify. So how do admissions committees decide? Pretty much the same way we do. How do we choose […]
How I Help Teens with Time Management
Habit #3: Put First Things First All tasks on your to do list are not created equal(ly). That’s why it is essential for us to prioritize. Over the years, I have realized that this does not come naturally for most of my students. Most of us (myself included), like to complete the things we […]
The Grand Canyon: A Day Trip
The Grand Canyon: A Day Trip After spending 7 years living in Arizona, I finally visited The Grand Canyon. And it was amazing. The Grand Canyon is massive. I know everyone says that when they talk about the Grand Canyon, but really, the word massive doesn’t do it justice. It makes you feel at […]
Everybody Wins: Habit #4 of Highly Effective Teens
Everybody Wins: Habit #4 of Highly Effective Teens As college acceptance letters begin rolling in, I felt it timely to discuss Steven Covey’s Habit #4 of Highly Effective Teens: Think Win-Win. Covey urges us to view life as a lesson in cooperation, not competition. He writes: Most of us learn to base our self-worth on […]
We Are What We Repeatedly Do: Habits and Happiness for Teens
We Are What We Repeatedly Do: Habits and Happiness for Teens Like exercise, I am a big believer in the fact that our happiness has a whole lot to do with our habits. (Aristotle’s famous quote comes to mind: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit”.) Today’s […]
Volunteer Spotlight on Bellair Farm
Volunteer Spotlight on Bellair Farm We interviewed Eleanor, a current honors freshman student at Columbia University, to hear about her experiences as a volunteer at Bellair Farm. What is Bellair Farm? Bellair is a farm located just south of Charlottesville that grows “clean, safe, […]
Three Ways to Become a Better Listener: Habit #5
Three Ways to Become a Better Listener: Habit #5 Habit #5 says highly effective people seek first to understand, then to be understood. Basically, they listen, and they listen carefully. Now that the soundtrack to most of our lives is a sporadic jingle, followed by the unmistakable sound of vibrations (and not the good kind […]
The Enrichery Explores Nashville
The Enrichery Explores Nashville What a trip! Becca and I arrived in Music City on Tuesday night, ready to do some very important research for our Nashville summer internship program. (First order of business: best places to EAT!) We made the most of our food-finding mission, and lunched, brunched, and dined at all the hottest Nashville […]
When A String Breaks: Advice from Former NFL Player, Spencer Tillman
When A String Breaks: Advice from Former NFL Player, Spencer Tillman I recently had the pleasure of listening to Spencer Tillman, former NFL player, give a speech at a Rotary Club meeting last week. In just the first few minutes of his speech, I was inspired. […]
Random Act of Kindness: 7 Day Compliment Challenge
Random Act of Kindness: 7 Day Compliment Challenge Before I talk about the significance of complimenting others, watch this video: “People react to being called beautiful” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW8BDgLpZkI In general, I like people-watching (not in a creepy way, I swear). I can see people’s worries, stress, or (less often) joy. Sometimes I wonder, ”What if I said something […]