Rebekah LaPlante
Associate Director, Undergraduate Admissions
Virginia Tech (VA)
How long have you been in the college counseling/admissions profession?
15 lovely years!
How did you get started in college counseling/admissions?
I started as an Assistant Director in The Office of Admissions at Radford University (my alma mater) after completing a bachelors and masters degree from RU, both in the communication field. My experience as an orientation leader as an undergrad peaked my interest in working in higher education and then after teaching public speaking courses in grad school, it further verified my interest in working with students in some capacity. I attended a session at my first conference presented by none other than Mildred Johnson (had no idea she would be my future boss at the time) and Barry Bradberry (who I now consider a dear friend) where they discussed the “career” of college admissions and after five years, you may be a “lifer”. Well, I guess I’m a “lifer”.
What's your favorite admissions/counseling memory?
Thankfully, I have too many to count…however, I would say most of my favorite memories have included the opportunity to share good news with an applicant when I’m able to call and notify them of an offer of admission to VT. I am very fortunate to be surrounded by a great team in my office and of course many others in our profession that I consider friends, so the "favorite memories" are abundant!
What advice would you give to someone looking to pursue leadership in PCACAC and/or NACAC?
Just do it! Ha Ha! If you do it right, it does take more time and effort than most people realize. However, it will be very rewarding and will not only help you to become a better professional, but it will also provide you with the opportunity for service, which I believe is very important in our line of work. Start out volunteering on a committee at our regional level and additional opportunities will likely open up if you are able to do more. You do have to put the time in and seek support from other colleagues either within your own office or reach out to others when needed. We’re all in this together. :-)
If not working in admissions/college counseling, what else could you see yourself pursuing?
Hmm…I started college with an interest in broadcast journalism, theatre, teaching and counseling before I settled on communication, so I suppose those would all be possible career pursuits. My true passion would be to open my own bakery and/or brewery or be a DJ (I could still give out college admission advice on the side).
What's one thing that most people don't know about you?
Lets be honest, I am an open book. I don’t think there is much the organization doesn’t know about me. I am a very positive person (most of the time), love to cook, appreciate a good craft IPA and love to dance! I really love to dance! The one thing not as many people may know is that college was not an automatic option for me. I am a first generation student and as much as my parents supported me, this was a very new venture for them. With the help of a thoughtful high school counselor, my mom and I sort of figured the whole college application process out along the way. And as they say, the rest is history.
What's a current trend or future issue you're passionate about right now? And why?
A future issue that I am passionate about are the issues that face first generation college students. I am concerned that the gap is not closing, but unfortunately widening between opportunities to assist the students that really need our help in the college admissions process and overall implications for cost/debt as well. I know our organization and individual counselors and college admission professionals are doing what we think we can, but I believe we can do more! I hope to be able to find additional ways to serve this population and focus on the socioeconomic gap as well.
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