I am thrilled to share more about the 2025 L.E.A.P Conference and what makes it so special. L.E.A.P, which stands for Leading and Excelling, Academically and Professionally, is an annual conference held for 10th-12th grade students in Iowa. While all students are welcome, a majority of the attendees are first-generation, low-income, or underrepresented students. L.E.A.P can make such a difference in these students’ lives by getting them connected with individuals and resources that will help shape their futures- no matter what path they choose.

It’s hard to believe the new recruitment cycle is right around the corner! Summer has flown by, and it’s time to gear up for the 2025/2026 College Fair season.

It was another successful RIDE in June, as school counselors and CCTCs took time out of their early summer to "Rediscover Iowa's Diverse Education!" 

How do I describe the RIDE? I moved to Iowa 7 years ago from the beautiful State of Hawaii. The first question students asked me was “Why” and the second question after I sat down with them to do their career planning was “What’s this college or that college like?”

LEAP 2024 Conference took place on Wednesday, November 20th at DMACC. This year's conference featured a keynote address from Jordan Brooks from Iowa State University who challenged students to manifest their dreams and how knowing themselves can help them find a college and career that combines their passions and interests.

On a wintery Iowa day, I attended the virtual Iowa ACAC Winter session of Admissions Counselor University (ACU). During this session, we covered ethics, territory management, building connections, and communicating with gen z. Toward the end of our meeting, we were joined by a great panel of high school counselors and career advisors who provided insight on best practices when talking with students and visiting schools.

This year the 2024 MIDWest Conference will be hosting a golf social event on Sunday, May 19. Plans are to converge on the Bunker Hill Golf Course, located less than ten minutes from our conference hotel, the Grand Harbor Resort.

Has your admissions office recently hired new admissions professionals this semester? Are you looking for a way to refresh your basic knowledge on college admissions, tips for the travel season, or admissions best practices? If you answered yes to either of those questions, then you need to keep reading!

Let’s start counting down the days! In just a few short weeks, we will all be together in person for the 2022 MIDWest ACAC Conference in Eagan, MN! The last time we all had the chance to be together was at the 2019 Iowa ACAC Conference at Prairie Meadows in Altoona. We made the best of things in 2020 with a virtual conference (thanks to our wonderful Past President, Tom Paulsen), and tried again in 2021 with a virtual MIDWest Conference (shout out to the excellent Wisconsin ACAC team for planning), but I know that I have really missed the in-person conference experience for the past two years. With all of the disruptions caused by the pandemic, we’ll have more first-time conference-goers than ever before, so as your current Iowa ACAC Conference Planning Chair, I wanted to share some thoughts and advice to help you make the most of your MIDWest ACAC experience! 

Believe it or not, I got to hit the road about a month ago and visit some high schools in Northwest Iowa. I always love going to that area of the state; it’s close to home (I grew up in Southwest Minnesota) and it reminds me to slow down. I felt a little rusty actually going into high schools and really talking to people (weird, I know) but it was so fun.

If you are anything like me, you likely left work on Friday, March 13, 2020, expecting to return on Monday. When you ultimately did return to your office, perhaps you found a time-capsule of life “pre-pandemic” – calendar still on March, piles of papers on your desk, mystery food in your work fridge, etc.

This year don't set resolutions, set goals instead and make a difference.

Colleges to Counselors (C2C) is a more recent addition to the Iowa ACAC event lineup, and one that we are so excited about! We kicked off this event in 2018 at Drake University and had a wonderful time. For the second year, we will be hosting C2C in September. This year, it will be at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, on Thursday, September 26. 

Did you know only 8% of people actually keep their New Year’s resolution? There are many reasons people can’t stick to their resolutions, from setting too many of them to getting derailed by small failures. A fantastic resolution you could keep this year is to attend Visit the Hill and make a difference!

May 20-22, 2018--Grand Harbor Resort and Waterpark#5  -  Attend a plethora of sessions from 5 states covering a wide variety of topics!

Over 40 students attended L.E.A.P. 2018 at the Mount Mercy University Graduate Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This annual leadership conference for underrepresented and first-generation freshmen, sophomores, and juniors in Iowa, is organized by the Iowa ACAC Inclusion, Access, and Success Committee. This year’s participants included students from Iowa City, Postville, Muscatine, West Liberty, and Columbus Junction. 

The Iowa ACAC Inclusion, Access, and Success Committee is excited to host the third annual L.E.A.P. Conference on Wednesday, April 4, 2018!

“As soon as any man says of the affairs of the State "What does it matter to me?" the State may be given up for lost.” These things matter, not only to individuals invested in education, but as a citizenry as a whole.”                                                                                               Jean-Jaques Rouseau

We all know communication has changed. Twenty years ago, as an Admissions Representative, I received letters, postcards, and flyers in the mail from Iowa ACAC...you know, that stuff that comes on paper by a person who delivers it through rain, hail, sleet or snow...with information on college fair registration and the individual fairs, spring conference, and the Scenes newsletter. I'd open each and every item, save as needed, note on a calendar, or throw in the trash can. We do all of those same things today, but electronically. Unfortunately, we sometimes feel inundated with email and get overwhelmed. Then we become selective. Then we overlook. Then we miss out.

“Oops, I forgot my table banner!”