Jeff Schiffman, Director of Admissions at Tulane University, has a unique perspective on his current experience during Covid-19 working remotely and managing all that’s currently happening with the admissions and enrollment process at Tulane. He got his job in the admissions office in 2005, the day after he graduated from Tulane and six weeks later hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. He began his career working for a closed university in a totally uninhabitable city.
Jeff’s favorite quote is: “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you”.
No doubt, this is how he worked his way up to the position of Director of Admissions and why it’s not surprising that Tulane was one of the first to have the most extensive virtual offerings of any college.
I’ve been thinking a LOT about the current high school seniors this year. How can you not? These teens have experienced not just one but two major life-changing events. The 2008 recession hit when they were 5 or 6, so it’s not surprising that many of the values they have were formed as a result of that event. In fact, it was a values exercise I do with my students and the similarity between many of the words they chose that prompted me to research Gen Z back in 2017. And now, during the time usually dedicated to celebrating accomplishments and looking forward to college, they are in the midst of a global pandemic, the likes of which none of us have ever experienced, while they are in the unique position of making one of the first big decisions of their lives with respect to college and their future.
But here’s the thing: they’re DOING IT!!! And they’re doing an AMAZING JOB!!
These teens are figuring out what they need and getting it done. They are attending virtual admissions events, taking virtual tours and networking to find students to talk to attend the colleges they’re interested in and get their input. They are employing both long-term thinking about their goals and short-term planning about if and how they can begin in the Fall. They are being realistic and hopeful, adaptable and creative. And they are and will be forever changed, in the best way possible, because of everything they’re doing and how they’re doing it.
It's not that they’re not mad, sad or upset. They are all of those things. It’s that in addition, they are also self-motivated, focused, self-aware and optimistic. And while I can only speak directly about the students I am working with, I have no doubt that this is true of seniors all over.
Because there are examples I see every day all over the internet of how they are both handling the challenges and still finding ways to celebrate! They may not be receiving the traditional parties and graduation ceremonies they so deserve, but the same creativity and caring and resilience they learned from parents, friends, relatives and educators are reflected in how they’re being celebrated!
There is no doubt that this pandemic has and will continue to change us in a variety of ways that we can’t even yet imagine. But we also know that at some point we’ll be on the other side of this and the Class of 2020 will be able to proudly reflect on how they handled it and what they learned.
They’ve had to make one of the biggest decisions of their lives during a time of tremendous uncertainty, all the while dealing with the frustration and disappointment of not being able to celebrate their last year of high school. They have exhibited tremendous focus and self-motivation and creativity and adaptability. All they have experienced insures that they are not only more than prepared to maximize their college experience, they have the skills and tools to create a lifetime of personal and professional success in all they choose to do.
Here's to the Class of 2020!!!