An Introduction to College Counseling at GCS
Thursday, May 2
Mulitz Theater, GCS Middle School
6:30pm Meet the GCS College Counseling Team: Damian Garcia and Michael Trask
7-8:30pm “Little-Known Secrets of Paying for College” with The College Funding Coach
As a college-preparatory institution, GCS is committed to helping each student find their “perfect fit” for their academic career post-GCS. We are always asked “what colleges and universities do GCS graduates attend”? Many of our students do earn acceptance into America’s “best” colleges and universities. More to the point, however: we guide students to find the colleges that are the best match for their individual talents, interest, and goals.
Supporting our students and their families in the college search are GCS’s two college counselors, Damian Garcia and Michael Trask. All GCS families, regardless of your child’s age, are invited to join Mr. Garcia and Mr. Trask on Thursday, May 2, for an informative evening designed to acquaint you with today’s college application process and how GCS will help you and your student navigate it.
Following a brief overview of the college landscape with Mr. Garcia and Mr. Trask, families will learn more from The College Funding Coach, focusing on “Little-Known Secrets of Paying for College.” GCS is partnering with The College Funding Coach to offer this value-added experience for our families, designed to teach parents the rules of the game when it comes to paying for their child’s education.
About College Counseling at GCS:
The College Counseling Office’s primary aim is to assist each student in conducting a thorough and successful college search. We believe in making the process a “team effort”—involving parents, teachers, advisors, coaches, and administrators—but encouraging each student to “own” the experience.
The College Counseling staff plays a variety of roles: educators who raise awareness of the array of college options, advisors who counsel students on the appropriateness of their prospective college lists, advocates who promote students’ strengths and qualifications to each college and university. Our program includes large group meetings, individual conferences, small group classes, guest speakers and college visitations, among other initiatives. Our staff is active in admission organizations—on the local, regional, and national levels—so we gain ongoing professional development experience as well as make valuable contacts with college and university personnel.
About The College Funding Coach:
The College Funding Coach was founded in 2002 to help families better understand the complex strategies for paying for college and making higher education more affordable. Planning for these expenses has become essential. Some families have children attending college next year, and others have years to prepare, but the fears of tackling these monumental and rising costs are the same. The College Funding Coach is here to help families figure out HOW to pay for it and still retire one day. Visit The College Funding Coach for helpful resources and information.
Register here:
Intro to College Counseling Event
Once you register, you will also be provided a link to register for The College Funding Coach’s workshop. Your separate registration for the workshop will provide you with access to The College Funding Coach’s free online resources, which are highly recommended. You can learn more here.
Damian Garcia joined the Glenelg Country School community in August 2018. Damian has spent much of his career in higher education supporting students pursuing and gaining access to college. He was the Regional Associate Director of Admissions at the University of Rochester (NY) for 10 years and also spent time in Philadelphia, PA, and Charlotte, NC. Damian has participated in every aspect of the admission recruitment, review, and decision process of a highly selective institution. Through the years, Damian has traveled across the U.S. and to various countries and has also served as a speaker at several national and regional conferences on topics of access, post-secondary advocacy, collaborating with community-based organizations, and developing a regional recruitment model for admissions offices. Prior to coming to GCS, Damian served as the Associate Director for Access and Diversity at Johns Hopkins University in the Undergraduate Admissions office. Damian lives in Laurel, MD with his spouse and has two elementary age sons, but his oldest is a 13-year-old Yorkie.
Damian earned a BA from the University of Rochester in New York and a Master’s in Higher Education Administration from Drexel University.
Michael Trask joined the Glenelg Country School community in August 2022. Michael has spent equal parts of his career in higher education in admissions fulfilling various enrollment management roles and as a non-profit director in the education management sector. Michael is passionate about the full life-cycle of students and the connection between socio-emotional health and academic achievement. Michael has recruited, selected, evaluated, trained, and supported students at George Mason University, Babson College, and The George Washington University where he also completed his undergraduate studies as well as an MA in Education and Human Development. As Program Director of the Posse Foundation in Washington, DC for seven years, Michael played a critical role in ensuring a 90% graduation and retention rate for Posse Scholars. Posse partners talented high school leaders with top-tier post-secondary institutions and sends them on full-tuition merit scholarships as teams or Posses to transform these campuses and themselves in the process. At Posse D.C. Michael partnered with Bucknell University, Grinnell College, Lafayette College, Pepperdine University, Sewanee: The University of the South, University of Rochester, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to coming to GCS, Michael served as the Director of Non-Resident Recruitment at the University of California San Diego. Michael is happy to be back on the East coast returning to his home in Washington, DC and is thrilled to be able to share the GCS experience with his daughter, who is a student in our Middle School.