WA is being visited by an organization known as CTCL (Colleges That Change Lives). It is a non-profit organization that helps students find the right college for them.

CTCL will give a presentation on Saturday, March 17 at 10 AM. If you are a student interested in going to the presentation, you can expect to see conversation on the media and culture surrounding college admission, as well as how to deal with the stress that it gives students.

Maria Furtado, the Executive Director of CTCL, believes chooses a college and path in life comes with careful consideration.

“We encourage students to be introspective and think about what type of education and community might work well for them before they jump into ‘I must make a list of schools! I must decide on a major! I must know what I want to do for the rest of my life!'” Furtado said. “We believe there are a lot of steps that come first, and those steps help students be more thoughtful about their search as well as, we hope, develop a list of schools that is more balanced and will bring a lot of joy in April of the senior year.”

CTCL also allows students to find schools that they otherwise may not have known about since they are not all in Massachusetts.

“Three schools are relatively close — two in Massachusetts: Clark University in Worcester, Hampshire College in Amherst, and Marlboro College in Marlboro, Vermont. The next closest would be in the Mid-Atlantic, Juniata College., Allegheny College and Ursinus College in Pennsylvania, McDaniel College, St. John’s College, and Goucher College in Maryland. There are forty-four member schools in twenty-five states. And part of my hope is that students will at least consider schools outside New England since college is a great time to explore another part of the country,” Furtado said.

Furtado is the person who will be giving the presentation here. She has been working with CTCL for almost twenty-two years. She has held the position of Executive Director for four and a half years, formally working as the Chair of the Board of Directors.

A mother of a WA student shared her praise about CTCL.

“I remember thinking her talk was worthwhile and have never forgotten her name to pass along,” Pam Tricca said.

Tricca hopes that Furtado can guide parents and students as they begin the college search.

“Dare yourself to find the one that will offer real experiential learning and face to face connections with professors. Finding the one that is the ‘best fit’ doesn’t need to be defined by just a name you already know,” Tricca said.