These cold winter days can bring a handful of negatives to a person’s health and physical activity. Maybe even more so for us who work in education where physical activity is minimal. It is easy to stay inside where it's nice and warm, order take out, not go to the gym/exercise, sit on the couch and eat warm high-calorie meals that can pack on the pounds. As a self-proclaimed food critic, I understand the importance of eating foods that ignite the taste buds. Eating healthier doesn't have to be bland and boring, so let me lend you a hand on some of my favorite food hacks that help cut the calories and provide nutritional substance during these cold winter months (and beyond) and also deliver on the flavor profile.

Latinos Unidos of Iowa is a non-profit organization led and founded by Lena Robinson. Last year, I served on the Board of Directors as their Scholarship Liaison and wanted to take some time to highlight the incredible work that LU does every day. One of the primary missions of this organization is to meet and connect with Latinx students and individuals throughout Iowa, providing resources for students as well as offering scholarships to students pursuing associate, undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate programs in Iowa.

Time to take a look at what's going on in offices and life celebrations! A welcome en masse to all new team members...you're also new Iowa ACAC members...and a big snuggly welcome to all the little ones who joined the office families!

I have a high school freshman and sophomore at home. Well, they’re not home much with such busy schedules. And when they are home, they spend a LOT of time in their rooms, so I don’t even KNOW they’re home. Can anyone relate?

The Iowa ACAC Government Relations Committee is excited to return to Des Moines on Thursday, February 24, for our annual Visit the Hill event! Join us at Forté Banquet and Conference Center starting at 9 a.m. for a morning full of education and conversations that you won’t want to miss! 

Greetings from South Dakota! A recent trend on Facebook was the #10yearchallenge where you post a picture of yourself today alongside a picture of yourself from ten years ago…or maybe some could do 20 years ago or more. It’s a fun opportunity to take a few minutes to reminisce and reflect upon certain chapters in your life and think about where you’ve been, what you’ve done, what you’ve been able to experience, challenging times, good times, and so on and so forth.

Ever seen an email come through on the listserv from Gail McMahon? Or ever wonder who keeps the Iowa ACAC website up to date? For those of you who don’t know, Gail McMahon is the woman behind the curtain. She keeps everything running smoothly behind the scenes, so I thought it was time to pull back the curtain a little with a short interview.

In January and September I compiled lists of lessons learned since the start of the pandemic for SCENES. Lessons such as buying TP and Clorox wipes anytime you had the chance, and the most flattering angle for video calls.

Has anyone else noticed that there is a gift guide for everything now? They’re all over social media this time of year! Gift guides for him, gift guides for her, gift guides for teens, for moms, for dogs; I’ve even seen gift guides based on the different enneagram types. So I figured it was time someone made a gift guide for admission representatives. Here’s my 2021 holiday admissions gift guide: 

Six hundred and twenty-eight days is the time between when our whole world changed and when I am writing this. Obviously, we need no reminders about the differences that we have faced in our industry due to Covid-19 or in our personal lives, but for some reason this year feels different. We are relatively back to normal, hosting tours and on-campus events, and with that comes the usual stress, burnout and overall exhaustion of the fall. 

FRIENDS! I don’t think I have ever been more thankful than I am this year, heading into the Thanksgiving holiday. We are all here. Like, literally AT WORK, physically.  I know it took some adjustment(s) but let’s be thankful! When I sit back and ponder on the year (which who has time to actually do that in the hustle and bustle of recruiting season), I am in awe of my colleagues, friends, family, our students and my co-workers. We did it, not always gracefully, but we did it. We’re back to a new “normal” and I really feel grateful. 

Where to start? What to do? Your mind is probably needing a break from the consecutive days on the road mixed with the busy visit days happening back on campus. As the weather is cooling off, it’s likely your travel schedule is, too. If you’re a seasoned road warrior, you know this transition all too well. If you’re newer to the road, you may feel a little discombobulated. Start with a deep breath. What we set out to complete amidst the chaos of travel season may not always materialize. You may realize that you didn’t email every student you spoke with at a high school visit or college fair this fall. You might have missed a congratulations text to a new commit or a next steps call to a new prospect. As you turn in your rental keys, fill out your final reimbursement forms and unpack your travel bags, here are a few tips to help with your transition back to the office.

After a year and a half of Zoom meetings, Google chats, work from home, and socially-distanced campus tours, it was great to be back on the road again for the Iowa ACAC College Fair circuit. To say that I was nervous about taking over as the Iowa ACAC College Day/Night Chair in the middle of a world-wide pandemic is probably an understatement. If I’m truly being honest with you, I was terrified.

It was a privilege to attend the NACAC conference in Seattle in late September. The sun was shining, the hills were steep, and it was a  beautiful thing to attend a conference again. I had the best time doing an Instagram takeover, posting about fabulous sessions, keynotes, and Seattle spots. If you don’t already, give Iowa ACAC a follow!

Promotions/new positions, new team members and bidding farewell - check out the Changes of Scenery in some of our member offices. Do you have big news to share? Major changes in your offices in the past few months – new colleagues, promotions, weddings, babies, etc. – let us know and we'll share the news with your Iowa ACAC colleagues!

It’s been several years since I had the opportunity to attend the NACAC Conference. That, coupled with a year away from any type of airline travel, had me so excited to arrive in Seattle for the return of an in-person NACAC conference. As a new Assembly Delegate, I was unsure of what to expect going into the conference this year. NACAC has recently undergone a lot of changes in its organizational structure, and it was evident coming into the conference that more change is on the horizon.

In January I compiled a list of lessons learned since the start of the pandemic for SCENES. Lessons such as buying TP and Clorox wipes anytime you had the chance, and the most flattering angle for video calls. At the time, I think we all were hoping we were wrapping up the pandemic.

I was asked to spend a few minutes and reflect on my time on the Board as well as give my candidate perspective running for National Board Service. In a nutshell, the three-year presidential cycle—President-elect, President, Past President—was one of the most rewarding periods of my professional life. It was also most certainly one of the fastest periods in my professional history.

Everyone’s clothing shrunk during the pandemic, right?

I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting this summer as I prepare to leave my current position as an Admission Counselor at the University of Iowa. A little background: as an undergraduate, I worked in the Office of Admissions in two student positions and absolutely adored it. So much so that I began considering a year or two in admissions post-graduation. Driven by my desire to return to admissions and a feeling of uncertainty as I navigated student teaching, I accepted a temporary counselor position following graduation and a full-time position six months later. I knew my time as a counselor would either be short-term and followed by a return to teaching, or I’d decide to stay in higher education for a good portion of my career. A little over two and half years later, and I’ve made the difficult decision to return to the classroom.