Annual Awards
Congratulations to the 2024 Annual Awards Winners!
International ACAC annually recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the college counseling and admission profession. International ACAC members submit nominations annually to recognize their peers. Award winners are announced during the Annual Conference in July. Descriptions of each award are provided below.
Rising Star Award
This award recognizes a new member who is striving to make a difference within International ACAC. NACAC's Rising Star Award honors individuals and programs that exemplify excellence and dedication to serving the needs of students in the transition from high school to college. The International ACAC Rising Star Award was established in 2015 to honor those deserving of international recognition. They must be new members who are striving to make a difference within our Association through their work in committees and/or in their communities. Individuals receiving a Rising Star Award nomination must be professional members of International ACAC for no more than five years.
AWARD WINNERS
- Gerald Malik Ndungu, 2024
- Abraham Barry, 2023
- James Akaba, 2022
- Moustafa Ezz, 2021
- Aileen Lee, 2020
- Samuel Jeong 2019
- Christine Grover, 2018
- Jenny Tassell, 2018
- Ed Tourle, 2017
- Rhonda Leshman, 2016
- Jennifer Lee, 2015
Distinguished Service Award
This award recognizes a person who has provided International ACAC with unique and outstanding service to our association. As a member-run organization, International ACAC relies on the time, talent, and dedication of its membership to realize its professional mission. Recipients of this award have contributed in invaluable and incalculable ways to the success, growth, and improvement of International ACAC.
AWARD WINNERS
- Dalia Wardany, 2024
- Rebecca McIntosh, 2023
- Megan Mankerian-Stem, 2022
- Nancy Cromarty, 2021
- Kristoffer Toribio, 2020
- Dane Rowley, 2019
- Laura Kaub, 2018
- Joan Liu, 2017
- John "Jack" Shull, 2016
- Rosa Moreno, 2015
- David Zutautas, 2014
- Clay Hensley, 2013
- Jimm Crowder, 2012
- Cathy Curtis, 2011
- Panetha Nychis Ott, 2010
- Joe Walsh, 2009
- Bridget Herrera, 2008
- Dale Ford, 2007
- Marie Vivas, 2006
- Hamilton Gregg, 2005
- Doug Thompson, 2004
Peter Hauet Lifetime Achievement Award
International ACAC established the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002 to recognize an individual who has contributed to the profession in a significant and lasting manner. This award, which represents International ACAC's highest member tribute, is presented to an individual who, over a period of years, has performed outstanding service to International ACAC, to our profession, and to the international college counseling community. In 2015, the award was renamed in honor of Peter Hauet, upon his receiving the award during the 2015 International ACAC Conference. Peter was a founding member of our Association and served on the Executive Board for twenty-years. Sitting members of the International ACAC Executive Board are ineligible for this award.
AWARD WINNERS
- Lin Larson, 2024
- Panetha Nychis Ott (posthumous), 2023
- Debbie McDowell, 2022
- Terry Axe (posthumous), 2021
- John Evans, 2021
- Ellyn Taylor Levin, 2020
- Marjorie Smith, 2020
- Bridget Herrera, 2019
- Ray Marx, 2018
- Marie Vivas, 2017
- Dale Ford, 2016
- Peter Hauet, 2015
- Doug Thompson, 2014
- Frieda Dietrich, 2013
- Janet Hurd, 2012
- Barbara Marlow, 2011
- Richard Dawson, 2010
- Joyce Smith, 2009
- Shep Shanley, 2008
- Nicholas Senecal, 2007
- Vivian Cipolla, 2006
- Jane Lowery, 2005
- Peggy Templeton Strong, 2004
- Beth Linguri, 2003
Panetha Nychis Ott Member of the Year Award
Inaugural for 2024
The Panetha Nychis Ott Member of the Year Award is bestowed upon a member nominated by the Executive Board in recognition of their significant contributions to International ACAC throughout the year. This award honors the legacy of the late Panetha Nychis Ott, whose illustrious career exemplified a steadfast commitment to service, advocacy, and ethical practices in college admission counseling.
AWARD WINNERS
- Malissa Takacs, 2024
Going the Extra Mile (GEM) Award
Congratulations to the Fall 2024 GEM Award winner
Mabrookah Heneidi
Independent Education Consultant (University Counselor)
Based in Jordan, Mabrookah Heneida is a Cofounder and Advisor at Crossroads Advising and the Founder/Executive Director of the Gazan Student Support Network. In December 2023, Mabrookah reached out to members of the international community to create a task force aimed at supporting Gazan students through the university process amidst the collapse of their education system. Mabrookah grew this network, working with other organizations that have helped connect students in war-torn areas with educational opportunities. Since February, the organization has worked tirelessly with over 100 students to place them in universities and boarding schools abroad with 23 of these students having received university and boarding school acceptances with full or nearly full scholarships. Her nominator says, “She is one of the most dedicated people I have worked with and I am fortunate to be part of this impactful group under her leadership.” We commend Mabrookah for her valuable work supporting international students.
What is the Going the Extra Mile (GEM) program?
The International ACAC Going the Extra Mile (GEM) program recognizes the exemplary work of International ACAC members by highlighting a dedication to our profession, our colleagues, and our students by demonstrating best practices, acts of good will, creativity, and ethics.
Who can earn the GEM award?
This is an award is for everyday International ACAC members who are “going the extra mile” to help their colleagues and/or students. Recipients will demonstrate their dedication to our profession by supporting the objectives and strategic goals of the International ACAC. This commitment may be demonstrated in a variety of ways including consistent participation in an International ACAC committee that strengthens the organization or a willingness to go above and beyond the duties of their role in order to assist others.
Who can submit nominations for the GEM award?
International ACAC members are encouraged to submit nominations of outstanding colleagues who show a high level of commitment to helping students, colleagues, and the overall organization. Nominees must be current International ACAC members in good standing.
Past GEM Award Recipients
The Going the Extra Mile program recognizes the exemplary work of International ACAC members by highlighting a dedication to our profession, our colleagues, and our students by demonstrating best practices, acts of goodwill, creativity, and ethics.
Azamat Tulepbergenov
"Bilim-Innovation" International Community Fund
Azamat is an International ACAC Non-Profit Organization member in Kazakhstan. His nominators highlighted Azamat’s impact establishing college counseling in the country. However, his dedication goes beyond counseling, as he actively promotes the professional growth of counselors and initiates projects to improve opportunities for Kazakhstani students. Recognizing the lack of resources available to students, he compiled a comprehensive guide covering application procedures and financial aid opportunities. Azamat collaborates with university representatives and organizations to advocate for counseling in Kazakhstan, both domestically and internationally. Azamat is a valued member of the International ACAC Admissions Practices Committee. We commend Azamat for his valuable contributions to International ACAC, the counseling profession, his peers, and students.
Laura Kaub
Duolingo English Test, Kenya
In her role at Duolingo English Test, Laura works tirelessly guiding refugee students through university admissions processes and securing the travel documents to get there - no small feat for refugees! She is a fearless advocate for students and has worked tirelessly to get the HALI Access Network up and running, serving as a mentor for scores of folks through her nearly 10 years with the organization. Laura leverages her network to connect people to mentors, opportunities, and support. Her nominator says, “I am inspired by her dogged determination, gentle tough love and by the unbelievable care and support she offers to those that are lucky enough to know her.”
Kristen Karovic
College Bloom, Italy
Kristen Karovic is a first-generation college graduate, Fulbright recipient, former professor, and most recently, an Independent Educational Consultant at College Bloom in Italy. Supporting low-income students is incredibly hard work, but Kristen works tirelessly to identify affordable programs and meaningful options that will change her students' lives. She compiles lists of scholarships and schools with tuition under a certain amount, and researches visa requirements that could impede a need-based student from studying internationally. Those who work with Kristen remark that she's wonderful at connecting new counselors and helping them establish themselves, as well as bringing them into the International ACAC family. Kristen ensures that her colleagues feel a part of a supportive community of counselors around the world, sharing her research with others so that they too can support low-income students. Her nominator says “Kristen is the definition of an IEC who goes the extra mile!”
Nathan Mack
University of Southern California, USA
Nathan Mack, Associate Director of Admissions at the University of Southern California, has more than a decade of leadership and management in higher education. In this role, he thoroughly enjoys the work that he is able to do in helping students discover their best-fit college or university. Part of how he achieves that is volunteering as the Chair of the International ACAC Fairs Committee. As such, he has helped the organization as a whole navigate the pandemic by making the pivot to the online environment, innovating to hybrid options, and now fully back in-person. Nathan is described by his nominator as “a true creative, a motivator, and most importantly has the best interest of the International ACAC membership in mind.” Those who work with Nathan on the committee indicate it is an absolute pleasure, due to the fact that he is such a happy and passionate admissions professional.
Mick Amundson-Geisel
International School of Yangon, Myanmar
Mick Amundson-Geisel from the International School of Yangon is the architect of an amazing counselor network who worked to put students from schools in Myanmar ‘on the map’. As part of those efforts, he built a multi-school fair that was added to the Southeast Asia fair circuit. This allowed universities to learn about the potential of the students from the small, but mighty country.
As Myanmar experienced a coup, followed by the pandemic, Mick worked tirelessly from the U.S. to not only counsel his students, but keep the network going, providing innovative virtual experiences for the students of this country. He continued to face obstacles that are familiar to many of us due to the impact of the global pandemic, needing to support his students in their university planning journeys, but without the ability for universities to visit in-person. Mick embraced online opportunities and shifted his multi-school fair to a virtual one, creating further access to and for his students. His continued focus on collaboration with other schools and the platforms that made this possible was critical to its success.
His nominators were quick to point out that Mick is known for "working to look beyond the well-known universities of the world, to truly find the best fit for his students." Truly going the extra mile!
Rebecca Pohl
American School of Warsaw, Poland
From the USA to Mexico, then on to China and Zambia, finally landing in Poland, Rebecca Pohl is currently working at the American School of Warsaw. When war broke out in Ukraine, Rebecca sprang into action giving new Ukrainian arrivals in Poland a temporary home to transition to the next part of their journey. At the same time she worked tirelessly gathering support from friends and colleagues around the world to help in any way they could – finding educational opportunities and translating donations into much-needed supplies on-the-ground in Warsaw. Food, medical supplies, books for a book exchange project between Poland and Ukraine, bulletproof vests and more have found their way to those in need due to her dedicated efforts.
Rebecca has also been sharing the stories of those she has helped and the helpers that she has brought together for the cause. Across the world she has brought people together to support the cause and make a difference. Figuratively and literally, Rebecca continues to go the extra mile. There are many stories of grateful organizations and families on her Facebook page!
The International ACAC Going the Extra Mile (GEM) program recognizes the exemplary work of International ACAC members by highlighting a dedication to our profession, our colleagues, and our students by demonstrating best practices, acts of good will, creativity, and ethics. For her efforts, her ongoing support in the local community and her dedication to ASW and her students, Rebecca is the recipient of the Going the Extra Mile award from IACAC’s members. Congratulations Rebecca!
Niki Dinsdale
UWC South East Asia, East Campus, Singapore
Congratulations to Niki Dinsdale, winner of the final Going the Extra Mile (GEM) Award for 2021! In addition to being a full-time university advisor at UWC South East Asia, Niki serves as Volunteer Head of Amala Pathways at Amala Education, a non-profit organization that works with refugees at camps in Jordan and Kenya, providing an online international high school for displaced persons.
Niki has successfully recruited 25 college counselors from all around the world to match with Amala students for one-on-one guidance, and supported each of those counselors as they took on this new role. She led the development of comprehensive workshops on finding pathways to universities, supported her team in writing powerful recommendations, and helped individual students apply to higher education institutions across the globe.
In addition to this, Niki facilitated and collaborated on a unique scholarship for UWC students with Huron University in Canada. Niki’s work in this area and her out-of-the-box thinking is much appreciated by her nominators.
Descriptors such as wonderful, advocate, commitment, enormous contributions, and generosity of spirit were sprinkled liberally throughout Niki’s nominations. By definition, the work that Niki does is certainly going the extra mile, and her nominators recognized that: “she has done a phenomenal job” and “she has elevated our profession and we are lucky to know her!”
The Dutch Research University Consortium (DRU)
Anne Kuijs, Saskia Cluistra, Carina Bravo Plancarte,
Kim Zwitserloot, Maarten Dikhoff,
Denise Nijhuis, Carolyn Barr
When you hear the word collaboration, the Dutch Research University Consortium (DRU) may be the first thing that pops into your mind. The DRU consists of eight member institutions and their staff, in particular: Tilburg University (Anne Kuijs), Maastricht University (Saskia Cluistra), Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University Rotterdam (Carina Bravo Plancarte and Johanna Goossens-Noel), University College Utrecht (Kim Zwitserloot), University of Groningen (Maarten Dikhoff), Eindhoven University of Technology (Dennis Baas), University College Roosevelt (Denise Nijhuis) and Leiden University (Carolyn Barr). These eight institutions have worked together very closely for over a decade to offer a clear and succinct message about studying in the Netherlands. Working this way benefits everyone: students, counselors, and the universities themselves. In addition, they seem to have a lot of fun doing it all, too!
Nominators described that the admission folks from these eight universities have gone above and beyond in their efforts to support of counselors and their students applying to Dutch universities. They have embraced a very transparent and supportive Facebook group in which they answer questions, share resources, and create community. They have offered multiple webinars, student events, and counselor meet-ups in this past year, reaching across time zones. Most recently they offered the DRU Bootcamp for Counselors, a week-long professional development opportunity at no cost for counselors. Counselors in attendance described this deep dive into new content about studying in the Netherlands as informative and useful, a brilliantly organized series of events, and seriously excellent professional development.
We thank the Dutch Research University for their dedication to our profession and congratulate all eight members on receiving the June 2021 Going the Extra Mile award.
Kevin Fuchs
Peterson School, Mexico
Characterized by his nominators as an outstanding human being, and a joy to know, Kevin is a pivotal member of his local counseling community, as well as the regional counseling community in Latin America. Kevin is seen as someone who is exceptional in his support of students, sharing of knowledge and a facilitator of connections. Of special note is his ability to cultivate relationships – regardless of country or language.
Kevin’s work in the Caribbean and Latin America Network has been extensive since its inception in 2018. He played an integral part in creating a resource pool, investing in the professional development of his colleagues in the region, and seeking out new opportunities for students and fellow counselors alike. Of late, this has manifested in promoting and collaborating with International ACAC and other organizations for events and webinars, sourcing certificate opportunities for colleagues, all in addition to his full teaching and counseling schedule.
We thank Kevin for his dedication to our profession and offer our congratulations both to him and to Peterson School, Mexico on his receiving the December 2020 Going the Extra Mile award.
John Liu
Yew Chung International School of Shanghai, China
The May 2020 GEM awardee was John Liu. Multiple nominators particularly noted John’s dedicated work back in January 2020 to develop a gathering place for on-line events to support students in China affected by COVID-19 and the cancelation of March to May in-person recruitment events, pivoting a platform he had created two years earlier for another initiative for Shanghai area college fairs. One of them wrote that the website he developed showed innovation and virtual support for what would become a trailblazing effort as the rest of the world was impacted by COVID-19 in the following months. The resource he created is a space that students, counselors and admission officers now rely on to share events. This outreach is no small feat and his colleagues are aware that he spent hours of your own time supporting this project during a difficult time in our industry, keeping the website up-to-date and refashioning it to fit a wider audience several times.
We thank John for his dedication to our profession and offer our congratulations both to him and to Yew Chung International School of Shanghai on his receiving the May 2020 Going the Extra Mile award.
Sarah Loring de Garcia
Independent Educational Consultant, Mexico
The December 2020 GEM awardee was Sarah Loring de Garcia. Sarah's nominators emphasized her enthusiasm and commitment to the profession. One described her as a powerhouse when it comes to offering authentic, smart, principled advice. You can catch her threads on a variety of forums, always assertively helping others and offering her expertise and resources to back up her responses. She counsels like a well-oiled machine - every document is student-centered, every interaction is a community -friendly and every mentoring technique handed out is intentional. Another nominator shared her annual USA Test-Optional List for International Students is comprehensive and supports offering counselors an easy go-to resource while also allowing those universities who have policies that are flexible to promote them. Maintaining such a list is selfless and shows Sarah's commitment to offering reliable resources for counselors to use around the world. Sarah is often a contributor in the International ACAC Facebook group supporting members with their questions or concerns as well. Sarah's enthusiasm and commitment to the profession is exemplary and the December 2019 GEM Award is a well-deserved recognition of her contributions to International ACAC.
Sherrie Huan
University of Sydney, Australia
The Fall 2019 GEM awardee was Sherrie Huan. Sherrie’s nominators particularly noted her dedicated work on the Governance and Nominating Committee (GNC) of the International ACAC. As a member of last year´s GNC, Sherrie went above and beyond to share new ideas to encourage our members to get out and vote. One of her best initiatives was writing a blog to share her own experiences to motivate members to express their voice by voting. Her positive attitude to offer support, share insights, and lend a hand illuminates the work we do. Sherrie brings enthusiasm and commitment to the profession. We congratulate her on this award!
Kelly Braun, Saigon South International School, Vietnam
Emily Dobson, Edge College Consultants, Brazil
Jamie Kanki, Concourse, USA
Marie Kobayashi, St Mary’s, Japan
Joan Liu, UWCSEA East Campus, Singapore
Selena Malla, USEF Nepal
Samantha Moktan Lama, GEMS Higher Institute of Education, Nepal
Diva Shrestha, Nepal Leadership Academy, Nepal
The Fall 2018 GEM awardees were the Justice League who had a huge impact and have done admirable work helping and advocating for Nepalese students whose scholarships to attend university were revoked. Nominators noted the inspiring demonstration of college admissions professionals coming together in this massive act of goodwill to help so many students at a critical time. The group’s collaboration was described as an example of empathetic, resourceful, collaborative, creative, and above all student-centered teamwork.
We are very pleased to thank Kelly, Emily, Jamie, Marie, Joan, Selena, Samantha and Diva for their dedication to our profession, and offer our congratulations both to them and their schools on receiving the Fall 2018 Going the Extra Mile award.
Dale Ford
British International School of Phuket, Thailand
The Spring 2018 GEM awardee was Dale Ford of the International British School of Phuket in Thailand. Two members who nominated Dale particularly noted that he is an incredible advocate for his fellow members of International ACAC. One nominator wrote that “with the sudden demise of Naviance as a platform to overseas schools, Dale Ford took the initiative to create a shared space for counselors to compare notes on the platforms we are considering.” His second nominator noted that Dale has been exceptional, including his work in creating “incredibly valuable resources to share” and again noting his participation in webinars to make sure everyone in International ACAC had access to the information they need.
Jolynn Vallejo
California College of the Arts; Oakland, CA
Jolynn had two nominators: Robert Duff from Northlands and Rachel Dillon from The American School Foundation. Robert noted, “One of the most outstanding aspects I would like to emphasize is her level of empathy; just by having very engaging conversations with a few of our students, she could pick up feelings and life events our students were facing (by analyzing their art work and by showing a true interest in what the students were trying to express). I have held many such portfolio reviews, but it is not usual to see this level of commitment and empathy.” Rachel added that, “She is wholeheartedly committed to whatever it is she chooses to dedicate herself to whether that be her music, her advanced studies in psychology, her daughter, or for the purposes this nomination, her work at CCA (and beyond!).”
Marie Whalen
Whitworth University; Spokane, WA
Marie’s nominator, Claudia Botero from Marymount School Medellin, particularly noted Ms. Whalen’s generosity in sharing her knowledge and mentoring both counselors and students. Claudia described Marie in glowing terms as “knowledgeable, patient, giving of her time, watches out for her institution and is proud of it, stands by and exalts her international students any chance she can, and loves, loves, loves what she does.”
