This year Parker welcomes a new addition to the community, Andrea Mondragon. Mondragon is now a part of the college counseling department, filling the position, Assistant Director of College Counseling, that Celso Cardenas occupied before leaving to be an upper-school dean at Harvard-Westlake School

Mondragon attended the University of Notre Dame and earned a Master’s degree in Higher Education at Loyola University. Mondragon worked for the University of Notre Dame’s admissions office and most recently held the title of Director of Multicultural Outreach and Recruitment and the Associate Director of College Admission at the University of Chicago.

Originally from New Mexico, Mondragon was the first person in her family to attend college. She remembers her college application process, saying she went to a “run of the mill high school” that was not a personalized, community-based organization.

Mondragon enjoyed her time in admissions but always wanted to make the switch to college counseling. “It was one of those things that wasn’t really planned,” Mondragon said. “I think I always knew I wanted to go into college counseling. I loved working in admissions, but I think all along I wanted to actually impact the process.”

“When I saw the job opening,” Mondragon said, “I thought that this was a one in a million opportunity.”

Mondragon is excited to be part of the close-knit community at Parker. “This is just such an incredible environment,” Mondragon said. “Every college representative I’ve ever talked to rants about Parker students and who they become on campus.”

Mondragon hopes to get to know those raved-about students even before they leave Parker.

“I want to be an involved member of the community,” Mondragon said. “Part of it is going to the soccer games and going to the play. I’m really excited to work with students, be a part of their lives, and be a part of that growing experience.”

Parker’s horizontal structure will help Mondragon get involved.

“I like how Parker doesn’t have a set hierarchy,” Mondragon said, “The students are comfortable talking to teachers.”

Mondragon said that main thing she wants students to know about her is that she’s is “eager to talk to them” and “eager to learn more about them.”

Mondragon wants students know she is approachable.

“I am a very warm and bubbly and friendly person,” Mondragon said. “I’m open for any advice. I’m also really excited to be a part of this community. I feel very fortunate…this is an unbelievable office.”

Speaking about Mondragon, College Counseling department head Susan Weingartner said, “Andrea was everyone’s first choice for this position!”

Weingartner is not the only one who is impressed with Mondragon. Administrative Coordinator of College Counseling Rebekah Lauer said, “Andrea has a dynamic personality, her kindness is contagious, and she truly clicked with our office right off the bat.”

“Her experience in the college admissions world is invaluable and will serve her well in her role here,” Weingartner said, “She is also incredibly warm, open, modest, and just felt like a perfect match with Parker’s mission, my office’s philosophy, and our team dynamic within the office.”

Mondragon will surely help Parker students if she possesses the gifts Weingarten claims she does — but she will do even better if she succeeds in her goal of emulating the traits of Parker people that drew her to the school in the first place.

“People say you are the company you keep,” Mondragon said, “and if everything everyone has said about Parker and its students, faculty, and staff is true, I’m going to have a great year.”