Page Cvelich has brought a wealth of knowledge to the Work/Life Center from prior experience as a high school guidance counselor and parent education coordinator. Page has been responsible for setting up a high school college and career center, designing a career exploration program for teens and serving as a counselor at a backpacking camp in the Rockies. In her role as Teen/College Program Manager, Page enjoys interacting with small groups of parents and teens, as well as consulting one-on-one with parents and referring them to resources so that they are better able to provide the support and encouragement their kids need.
As I approach the Thanksgiving and December holidays, I feel deflated. Plans to gather and reenact time-honored traditions have been dismantled and discarded due to the pandemic. I have allowed myself to feel the sadness and the loss. And I have begun to ask myself some questions: What do these
I wrote the following blogpost several years ago, but I think it bears repeating in light of the pandemic. Even though this virus is unwelcomed and unwanted, it has brought family members in close proximity to one another. This creates both challenges (i.e., getting on each other's last nerve) and
In this guest blogpost, Work/Life welcomes Jamie Pack, College Planning Consultant with Advantage College Planning, to help parents and students sort through the issue of declaring a major…or not…during the college application process. Is there any value in applying to college without a declared major? Yes! In a time where
During our formative years, into late teens, and through adulthood, we consistently hear about the risks and dangers of alcohol use. Most of us know the laws and ordinances pertaining to alcohol use and the consequences of illegal or irresponsible drinking. For some, this is enough to keep them from
I wish I had a magic wand! The pandemic would disappear. I’d be back on the SAS campus meeting with folks face-to-face [with a fresh haircut & color] and enjoying the great café food. And I would have plenty of ideas and suggestions to point your teens to for their summer
Work/Life's guest blogger, Katie Griswold Kaye with Kaye College Consulting, advises students in their college admissions process. Prior to relocating to the Raleigh-Durham area, Katie was a guidance counselor at Boston College High School, an all-boys Jesuit school. In that role, she provided intensive college counseling to hundreds of high
In this guest blogpost, Amanda Chamberlain, Founder of Pathways Consulting, explains why it is difficult for parents & teens to talk about career and college planning, and what parents can do to help their students plan for their future. There are several reasons why it's difficult for your student to
When I am feeling stressed, my vision narrows. I feel a little like a horse with blinders. I can’t see the whole picture. I have noticed that when I metaphorically take the blinders off, my stress level tends to decrease. But sometimes I’m just stuck and I don’t even know
In my parenting class, I talk about the 3 C’s of parenting teens—remain CALM, stay CONNECTED, and be CURIOUS. In this blogpost, I want to focus on being curious because if you take this approach in parenting your teen (or even your young adult), it will force you to slow
I don't know about you, but, over the years, I have learned a lot during Black History Month. I have discovered stories of amazing heroes and scientists who have changed the tragectory of American life, as well as shameful episodes of exploitation and abuse in our history that have been
I have a 100-year-old father with dementia living with me and I also help parents of teens here at SAS. What do these two things have in common? The need to stay in relationship. Three years ago, I heard this simple statement and it hit me like a ton of
Although we are still learning about all the negative health impacts on the body, it is important to remember that vaping is dangerous. And it is especially dangerous for our youth as their developing brains are much more susceptible to addiction. There is a lot of misinformation out there so
If you know me, you know I’m not a shopper. Shopping stresses me out. I wish I had a uniform to put on for work so that I didn’t have to think about it, because life is stressful enough without adding stress. What I need to do is eliminate the
I get it. You are between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, you want to allow space to let your emerging adult take the reins and handle the college application process. On the other hand, you quake in your boots thinking about the [remote] possibility that your high
Each week in August, the Work/Life Team has invited educational experts to address concerns parents have in the process of choosing a school. For our fourth and final blogpost in this series, we have invited our experts to respond to the following questions: What factors/issues might prompt a family to
Each week in August, the Work/Life Team has invited educational experts to address concerns parents have in the process of choosing a school. For our third blogpost in this series, we have invited our experts to respond to the following questions: What factors should I consider when determining best fit
Each week in August, the Work/Life Team has invited educational experts to address concerns parents have in the process of choosing a school. For our second blogpost in this series, we have invited our experts to respond to the following questions: What questions should I be asking about the school?
For those families on the traditional school calendar year in the public education system here in North Carolina, school starts in three short weeks! As the dog days of August come to a close, many parents' chests begin to tighten as they anticipate the dogged nights of homework. For some families,
Each week in August, the Work/Life Team has invited a psychologist, an educational consultant, and a school administrator to address questions about how to choose a school. For our first blogpost in this series, we have invited our experts to address the following question… When thinking about school choice what
At the end of this week, I’m heading to the beach for our annual extended-family beach trip. This has been a tradition for decades—well before I was born. Yes, which beach we go to has changed, the week we go has varied over the years, but we are committed to
My colleague, Lisa, and I were comparing notes the other day. Both of us starting working in our teens (14 and 15 respectively) during the academic year as well as the summers. I worked at Sears in the drapery and bedspread department. I’ll never forget my first boss—Mr. Arnold. He
Leaving home and moving onto a college campus is a point of significant transition for many young adults. Every non-commuting campus I am familiar with requires freshmen students to live on campus and there is good reason for this: students who live on campus have shown to earn a higher
The day you have been planning for (and paying for) is fast arriving! Your college student is graduating and taking that next step toward full-fledged adulthood. What’s not to celebrate? And please do take the time to celebrate. 😊 After a week or two, however, it’s time to talk about
Resilience is the capacity to respond positively to hardships that someone might come across, including living with a chronic illness. It is about adapting to the new normal, learning information, and focusing on strengths and values. Being flexible and adaptable, having good communication within the family and medical team, and
I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I have two adult sons, both of whom who are married—one for 10+ years and one for 2+ years—so I’ve had some time to practice. My guess is if you are reading this blogpost, you either have an in-law relationship that is
Talk to most parents about their role as parent, and you eventually hear the parent sigh and say, “I just want my kid to be happy,” or “A parent is only as happy as their least happy child.” There was a time in my life when I nodded in agreement,
I have done my share of traveling over the years. Some as a tourist and some as a global citizen in search of understanding new cultures and peoples. Regardless of the intent, one thing remained true. I hated packing. When my husband and I were preparing to move overseas to
My sister flew in to visit me a couple of weeks ago. She had recently retired and told me she was allocating some of her expanded leisure time to do “death cleaning”. I—the person who had a funeral folder at age 19—was understandably intrigued! A stimulating conversation ensued. The concept
"An interview is a two-way street. The interviewers are there to learn more about you, but you, too, should see this as a chance to learn more about the school or program for which you are interviewing." Most high schoolers have never been interviewed for a job. So when it
"When seeking out individuals to write your letters of recommendation, avoid asking VIPs or those who you believe might have an “in” with the college or scholarship program if they don’t know you very well. A letter of recommendation from a prominent alumnus doesn’t carry much, if any, weight if
