While I am excited to begin my term as your 2020-2021 NJACAC President, I realize this has been an extremely hard time for many of us. Beginning in March, we have been isolated from friends, families, and the students we serve. We are all watching our graduating seniors and the loss of normal celebrations for them. At the same time, we have experienced loss and illness in our communities. Just when we thought we were turning a corner in the COVID-19 fight, we are once again struggling with racial divide, riots, and social upheaval. 

As an organization, we are saddened to see the cancellation of many of our events but are focused on the safety and well-being of our members and community. We look forward to the next year with trepidation but also a renewed hope that the lessons we have learned in the last few months will make us stronger professionals and a more powerful organization as a whole. We have learned to communicate and work in a whole new way and have been able to spread our messages of access, inclusion, support, and education for all, far and wide.

As many of you know the  NJACAC organization and its leaders are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and these principles are key to the work that we do. We are committed to cultivating mutual respect, empathy and understanding amongst our members. As an organization, we affirm all people regardless of their age, culture, intellectual and physical ability, ethnic origin, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, military experience, nationality, race, religion, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. 

While planning for my NJACAC Presidency, I never could have imagined the context in which it would take place, but I stay focused on providing leadership to an organization I love and to provide all of our members with the support that you need. We are continuing to innovate the way we provide access to events such as college fairs and professional development and will continue to run our Camp College 2020 (Our 10th year!!!) and Basics of College Admission 2020 programs this summer virtually. Applications will be open soon, so please be on the lookout for that information. 

Before you sign out for the summer, remember to renew your NJACAC membership prior to the start of a new school year! Simply log in through our Member Portal and follow the prompts. Please also consider volunteering for one of our committees. Whether you have one hour or many, your help and support is both welcome and necessary for us to continue the work we do. 

I would like to invite all of you to take a moment to think about the ways we can continue to work collaboratively and to serve our membership and the students who we counsel and educate. My work as a counselor has always been centered on providing access to higher education to students who may not believe that path was possible, and to make a difference in even just one life would make the work worth it. The unrest and tumultuous world that has been changing all around us daily strengthens my desire and need to serve our students.  If there is something you would like to contribute, please reach out. I wish all of you a restful, healthy, safe summer, and hope to see you all in person or virtually in the Fall! 

Sincerely,
Laurie Sieminski
NJACAC President