Profile: Lucy Neale Duke

Lucy Neale Duke

Assistant Director of College Counseling

McDonogh School

Owing Mills, MD

How long have you been in admissions/college counseling? Share your journey story!

I joined Georgetown University's admission staff in 1982.  After two years there, I moved to the secondary side and spent 11 years at Connelly School of the Holy Child in Potomac, MD. Next, eight years home with my children, and then I re-entered the college counseling world at City College, Baltimore's humanities magnet high school.  After three years at City, I read very part-time for Hopkins's admission office and then went to Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, where I founded the college counseling office. I left CRJ after six years, and tried a year of mostly-retirement, only to land back at McDonogh School this year, where I enjoy working as a part-time Assistant Director of College Counseling.

How did you get started in college counseling/admissions?

I was a history major with vague notions of going to law school, although I'd also met with my university's admission dean for an information interview while I was still in college. I did NOT enjoy my first job in DC as a legal assistant at a large, corporate firm, and I found myself thinking a lot about my own college counselor and an admission dean from a college I didn't attend, both of whom were exceptionally helpful to me when I applied to college.  So, I contacted Georgetown, they had a few openings in admissions, and here I am, almost 34 years later.

What's your favorite admissions/counseling memory?

Too many to choose, but here's a sample: Visiting my former college counselor (who'd moved to a different independent school) as a Georgetown admission rep - he kindly treated me with professional deference, even though I'd been on the job for two months. My helpful and fun colleagues at DC-area independent schools in the 1980s and early 1990s. The freezing cold PCACAC conference luncheon at The Carousel where we sat atop a thin plywood floor covering the ice rink, the last time our conference was in Ocean City. Renewing friendships with admission and counseling colleagues after my eight year hiatus. Sitting with a City College senior as she called her grandmother in tears to tell her she'd won a scholarship and could afford to attend college (I was a puddle). CRJ's first graduation in 2011, with everyone heading off to two-and four-year colleges. Seeing many first gen students thrive and grow in college and beyond.

What advice would you give to someone looking to pursue leadership (or membership) in PCACAC and/or NACAC?

PCACAC members are generous, experienced and well-informed. When I returned to college counseling after eight years at home with my children, it was huge to still have professional connections and friends who remembered me through PCACAC; they helped me get up to speed. Volunteering with PCACAC and/or seeking office is a great way to become a better counselor and to learn more about the profession.

If not working in admissions/college counseling, what else could you see yourself pursuing? 

Not sure!

What's one thing that most people don't know about you?

My most popular hors d'oeuvre is my mother's cheese pennies recipe.

What's a current trend or future issue you're passionate about right now? And why?

Access, and all its components: quality education and counseling starting in Pre-K; financial aid; college counseling for low-income, first generation students; effective college retention and graduation programs.