Subject: From the College Office: Remaining months
From: "Lauren Carter" <[email-masked]>
To: "R. Hunter Biden" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 3 Mar 2016 16:11:28 -0500

<p>
	Dear Upper School Parents,</p>
<p>
	As I enter my remaining months at Sidwell Friends School, I am honored to finish my time with the Class of 2016 and to begin the college process in earnest with the Class of 2017. There is much change that will occur as we embark on the closing of the school year, and I am confident that there will be a smooth transition for all. Change can at times be the cause for anxiety and uncertainty, but rest assured I am committed to serving the needs of all families with the same dedication and enthusiasm I have demonstrated throughout my tenure at SFS.</p>
<p>
	As seniors await regular decision news, the college counseling team and I are actively advocating for them with the admissions offices. In addition, we have been meeting individually with the juniors and are preparing them for the months that lie ahead as they become more actively engaged in the college process. We have enjoyed getting to know the Class of 2017 and are here to support and guide them.</p>
<p>
	Many of you are aware that I, too, am making plans for my life after Sidwell Friends and have accepted a college counseling position at Episcopal High School in Virginia. College counseling is my primary professional responsibility both during these remaining months at SFS and as I begin my time at Episcopal. I look forward to seeing the Class of 2016 walk across the stage in June as I, too, will be starting a new adventure.</p>
<p>
	In addition to accepting a new position, I have spent some of my free time over this past year creating a college admissions website dedicated to supporting and educating college bound students and families. While this project is part-time in nature, I have greatly enjoyed the opportunity to write, blog, and expand my horizons. Mamadou Gu&egrave;ye and Bryan Garman have shared that there has been some conversation and speculation about this new venture.&nbsp; I regret that the launching of the business has caused concern in the community and I want to take a moment to clarify my goals.</p>
<p>
	First and foremost, I want to be clear that I am not advising individual students and have no private clients, so there is no conflict of interest with the development of my on-line business and my responsibilities at Sidwell Friends.&nbsp; The purpose of this new endeavor is to educate communities of students who may benefit from admissions resources and to offer e-courses that students can complete through a self-directed curriculum. &nbsp;To meet these goals, I have been publishing blogs and posting articles on Twitter and Facebook accounts.&nbsp; Please be assured that these posts and tweets are pre-programmed to be sent during the school day, and, as a result, their creation and posting do not in any way interfere with my work with students.&nbsp; I deeply value the relationships I have forged with students and parents and will continue to advocate exclusively for Sidwell Friends students in the admissions process.</p>
<p>
	One lesson that has resonated with me during my time at Sidwell Friends is that growth and taking on new challenges are important and vital to our own personal and professional development. I am fortunate to be engaged in a career that I wholeheartedly enjoy while supplementing it with new opportunities and learning more about myself along the way.</p>
<p>
	As I bid you farewell, I truly am humbled to have served as the Director of the College Counseling. The time I have spent with the Sidwell Friends community has been very meaningful to me, and I will miss the students and families. I have given the best I have to offer in this capacity with the goal of providing students and families with consistent support, excellent guidance, and valuable advisement. I wish you well in the years ahead.</p>
<p>
	In friendship,</p>

<p>Lauren B. Carter<br>Director of College Counseling<br>Sidwell Friends School<br>3825 Wisconsin Ave, NW<br>Washington, DC 20016<br>202.537.8166<br>&nbsp;</p>