A cheerful hello from the East Coast! My name is Nicole Cannizzaro, and I am the Director of the 2017 Joyce Ivy College Access Symposium (JCAS) and a Joyce Ivy Foundation Senior Fellow. Currently, I am pursuing my master’s degree in Higher Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and advising first-generation undergraduates at Harvard College.
But where—and who—was I before, you wonder? I’m so glad you asked!
Originally from Lowell, Massachusetts, I attended Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The first in my family to attend and complete college, I only even thought to apply to Dartmouth because of my 9th grade English teacher.
Dartmouth was a magical experience for me. As a Romance Languages major, I studied abroad twice—first in Toulouse, France, and then in Madrid, Spain—even though I had never left the country before. I also explored a whole variety of courses and, through a mentorship opportunity my sophomore year, decided that I wanted a career in education. Having volunteered with and later served on staff for a college-access program on campus, I discovered that ensuring access to college for other first-generation students was a key interest of mine.
After graduating, and while teaching at an all-boys’ Jesuit school in New York City, I met my husband, a native Midwesterner (I claim Illinois as my other home and have great love for the Midwest). We relocated to Washington, DC, where I taught at an all-girls’ school before stepping into the role of college success coach for a DC-area non-profit. Working with students as a coach, advisor, and counselor to ensure that they have the community, self-confidence, and know-how to thrive in college brings me great, great joy.
I believe in the transformative power of education, of taking positive risks, of stepping outside your comfort zone. Of trying something that perhaps no one in your family—or maybe no one that you know at all!—has attempted before. And that is why I’m here at Joyce Ivy, because I am certain that the choices you make with regard to your education will affect lasting and transformative change in your life. To borrow a line from another Dartmouth alum, Dr. Seuss: “You have brains in your head and feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.”
This is the official launching of the Symposium Sunday blog series that will lead us to the Joyce Ivy College Admissions Symposium (JCAS) on May 4th through 6th at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Michigan. For those of you who are new to our blog or website, JCAS is a two-day event which brings together high school counselors, community-based organization leaders, admissions representatives from a sample of the country’s most selective colleges and universities, students, and families for financial aid and college admissions workshops. Registration for JCAS will open in early 2017, so check back on the Joyce Ivy website.
Between now until May 4th, I will be sharing JCAS updates on the blog. Some of the topics will include a preview of workshops and sessions at JCAS, such as making and narrowing a college list, tips for visiting colleges, finding out about colleges online, and completing applications for financial aid and admission; other topics will focus on highlights of JCAS 2017 and important reminders. The Joyce Ivy Fellow blogging team with also be sharing info about the colleges that will be represented at JCAS.
Use these resources as you begin or continue your own college search process. The more informed you can be, the better. I am thrilled to be on this journey with you!
Warmly,
Nicole
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