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Andrea Velasquez to Co-Direct Ranney School’s Nationally Recognized College Guidance Office

Ranney is proud to announce that Ms. Andrea Velasquez will be joining the Upper School leadership team as the new Co-Director of College Guidance, beginning July 15, 2016. Ms. Velasquez brings with her more than 10 years of experience in college counseling leadership, including roles at the Cornelia Connelly School—an independent, college-prep high school in Orange County, California; the Rosary Academy in Fullerton, California; the UC system; and Loyola Marymount University.
 
In her roles, Ms. Velasquez has managed a caseload of approximately 175 to 200 domestic and international students in course selection, academic advisement and college planning. She has designed programming for high school students on testing and college exploration, served as an Advanced Placement Coordinator, and advised students and faculty on issues related to gender roles, domestic violence, decision-making, substance abuse and student accommodations.
 
A California native, Ms. Velasquez is excited to join the East Coast and the Ranney community. She holds a master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling, as well as a bachelor’s in Communication Studies, from Loyola Marymount University. She is also credentialed in Pupil Personnel Services and is an active member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling.
 
Ms. Velasquez will join Dr. Nick Accrocco as a partner in Ranney’s College Guidance Office and will work closely with Upper School Division Head Katie Gibson and Assistant Head Adam Materasso. “Andrea has an innate ability to instantly connect with others,” said Ms. Gibson and Mr. Materasso, who previously served as the Co-Director of College Guidance. “She’s warm, enthusiastic, grounded and knowledgeable. We know that she will represent Ranney School proudly within the world of college admissions, where making connections with others is so critical, and are confident that this new team will raise our already established college counseling program to the next level.”
 
Added Dr. Accrocco, “I’m very excited to partner with Andrea in the service of our students and their families. As soon as I met her, I was impressed by her command of the issues within admissions, financial aid, scholarships and all other aspects of the college search process. She will be a great asset to the college office and the Ranney community as a whole."
 
As announced in March of this year, current Co-Director of College Guidance Ms. Myra Simpson will be leaving Ranney at the end of the 2015-16 school year. She has taken a position with Oak Hall School in Gainesville, Florida, as Director of College Counseling. “We wish Ms. Simpson the best of luck and success in her new role and thank her for her dedicated years of service to Ranney students and families,” said Ms. Gibson and Mr. Materasso.
 
Ranney School’s College Guidance program has been acknowledged nationally for its extensive programming to upperclassmen families and it skillful, individualized approach to college counseling. The school’s process engages students early on, starting in the ninth grade with class scheduling geared toward college preparation and achievable goals. The program provides a semester-long college seminar for juniors and seniors, travel to different college campuses each year for juniors and sophomores, a series of parent workshops on paying for college, a case studies program and an annual college fair with representation from more than 80 admissions representatives. In addition, the College Guidance Office partners with Rev Prep to offer SAT and ACT preparation classes and is highly equipped to work with students who have a variety of interests and strengths.
 
Says Mr. Materasso, “We lead our students through various reflection exercises in an effort to help them find the right-fit schools. We assist them with their applications, including their essays, and we get to know our students at a very personal level so that we can advocate for them to the admissions reps who are reviewing their applications.” 
 
Ranney’s approach to college guidance aligns with the school’s overall mission and core values—beginning in our age-3 Early Childhood program—to value, nurture and engage each and every child and his/her unique self. When students reach the Upper School, our faculty and our college counselors already know the students and have a deep sense of the types of colleges and universities in which they will thrive going forward. By the time students are ready to apply to college, they can feel confident that Ranney’s reputation for excellence will provide them with the best possible chance of acceptance. In fact, 100% of Ranney graduates go on to attend four-year colleges and universities, and more than 80% of them are accepted into their first or second choice school.
 
“The door to Ranney’s College Office is always open and our counselors are always ready with the solid advice and strong support needed for a stress-free college application process,” adds Dr. Accrocco.
 
Said Ms. Velasquez, “When walking around Ranney’s campus, you can tell you are in an environment that values the individual as a whole. The true highlight of my recent visit was meeting five current students. Each was bright, friendly and goal-oriented in their own unique way. They were able to not only articulate their goals and dreams for the future, but also what made Ranney special to them. It isn’t often that one comes across a group of such impressive high school students. It was clear to me that something special was happening in this community, and I knew then, I wanted to be a part of it.”
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Ranney School

235 Hope Road
Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
Tel. 732.542.4777
Our mission is to know and value every child, nurturing intellectual curiosity and confidence, and inspiring students to lead honorably, think creatively, and contribute meaningfully to society.