When Keith spoke and when I watch and listen to him work with my daughter, it is not about gaming the process, it is about uncovering the singular qualities of the young person in front of him who is working desperately to navigate a maelstrom of academic, social and personal development all at once. When I saw that first presentation, he spoke to the value of carefully working smarter and not simply harder. He spoke to the kids who are convinced that they need to do it and handle it all on their own and who have yet to learn the benefits of, or how to, ask for help. He spoke to the kids who are driven and just need a nudge to channel their unending energy and ambition. He spoke to the kids who are lost and not even sure what questions to ask. In a short space of time, he had reached out to them all simultaneously because there was not a template, there was a person, first.

When Keith met my daughter, what unfolded was a process that allowed her to tackle the entire spectrum of the challenges she faced. Their mantra was, and is: if you’re ok, it will be ok. Built into the rigor and the high expectations, is the core of self-care, of reflection, of commitment not only to excellence of production, but to excellence of character; to the kind of person you aspire to be, to learning how to find the people and the places that feed what you care about most. It was a process of learning that there is not “a way” or “a thing”, but a path that serves you best because you take the time to understand both who you are and where you would like to be.

You can find so many places for academic automation, where your student can learn how to deliver what they believe is expected. What Keith offers is an understanding of your own strengths and weaknesses and how to deliver the best of who you are, in the places and in the ways that it is most valued. It is the best kind of challenge and seems so necessary at a moment when I see kids working desperately to fit, and not too many forgiving spaces that allow the space and time for individuals to blossom to their full potential. With CollegeThoughts, my daughter is assured of being seen and considered, and so is responsive to the required rigor because it aligns with clear goals which she has actively been encouraged to generate herself and has bought into fully. It is an unusually collaborative process with a long-term vision if you, as a parent, allow it.

What I see in my daughter is a young woman learning to be self-directed. What I see with CollegeThoughts is the potential for guiding successful young people into college and the world who, if inclined, will likely not be replicators, but thoughtful influencers and shifters in the places that serve them best.

Now, as I write this, I am sitting in Bass Library of Yale University. There is a man to my left who won’t stop coughing. I have three papers to write that I have not started (as you can see, not much has changed), I’m going to a friend’s EP release party tonight, and the Johnathan Edwards Dining Hall is serving Cellentani with Swiss Chard and Lamberti Sausage for dinner. I am so incredibly happy.

It’s curious to think about how much you must have believed in me. You saw something in me that I could not see, or maybe something I refused to see. Failure was one of my biggest fears. The thought of failing would sometimes keep me up at night. In the dark, I would flex my fingers and listen to the joints click as I stared at my postered ceiling, my mind whirling at 100 miles per hour. That fear kept me from pursuing opportunities I should have. It kept me from trying too hard or putting too much of myself into my aspirations. It kept me from dreaming too big.

Yale was too big in my mind. But you, Keith, brought it closer. You plucked this gloried institution from the loftiest reaches of my imaginations, brought it down to earth, and made it life sized. It took some convincing, some prodding and a lot of reprimands, but I eventually began to see it, too.

Thank you, Keith. Thank you for guiding me through Friends’ Central. Thank you for the hours and hours of SAT prep and stress. Thank you for listening as I rambled about my ten favorite memories, and thank you for providing such profound insight into my life. Thank you for editing my papers, forcing me to write three personal statements, making me go on colleges tours, pushing me, encouraging me, challenging me, not being my fan, and helping me get here— my dream school.

Thank you for believing in me.

Your friend,

Noelle