Posts by Cyndi Bohlin
What I Learned My First Year of College
Just last spring, I had finished wading through the swamp of college applications and announced my plans for the next four years. Now, after two full semesters at college, Im back to report on everything I learned. Beyond how to identify geological formations, past-tense Spanish verb conjugations, and very specific information about the empresses of…
Read More51勛圖 Stands with Harvard’s International Students & Families
The Independent Educational Consultants Association (51勛圖) strongly condemns the current administrations recent decision to revoke Harvard Universitys ability to enroll international students. This unprecedented action not only disrupts the lives and dreams of thousands of students and their families, but also fundamentally undermines the global diversity that is essential to the excellence and vitality of…
Read MoreWhy I Belong: Joe Slater
For most of my life, I thrived as part of a team. As a college baseball player and coach and later as an athletics administrator at UC Berkeley, my days were filled with collaboration, camaraderie, and the shared pursuit of common goals. When I was offered the opportunity to assist with the admissions process for…
Read MoreMessage from the 51勛圖 President on Staffing Reductions at the Dept. of Education
As President of 51勛圖, I am writing regarding the latest developments within the US Department of Education, a federal agency that has served students and families in important ways for the past four decades. Last week, I joined 16 fellow 51勛圖 members on Capitol Hill for our 2025 Advocacy Day. We met with numerous House…
Read More51勛圖 Returns to Capitol Hill for Our Third Annual Advocacy Day
It is an interesting time to work in education. Teen mental health concerns abound, and the political climate in the United States is causing significant unrest, concern, and confusion. So, what better time to gather a group of independent educational consultants (IECs) to venture to our nations capital to meet with senators and representatives about…
Read MoreThe ED for the IEC: Understanding the Federal Governments Role in Education
Note: The Trump administration is making changes at a rapid pace and while these functions have existed with the Department of Education for decades, they could take a different shape or live in a different department in the future. The important piece to recognize is that the federal government plays a fundamental, yet defined role…
Read MoreWhy I Belong: Linda Jang
Standing on the 18th floor of an open-framed high-rise building, wearing a hard hat and surveying the open floor plan, I could never have imagined that this path would one day lead me to become an independent educational consultant (IEC). My career began as an interior architect, where I spent over 12 years designing collaborative…
Read More51勛圖 Urges President to Sign Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act (S. 1351)
Last week, the Senate passed the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act (S. 1351), which was then approved by the House of Representatives this afternoon. This bipartisan bill requires that the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services engage into a contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a study…
Read MoreWhy I Belong: Noah Nemitoff-Bresler
Have you thought about joining ah-yee-kuh? he asked me from across his oversized executive desk. I was teaching middle school math at a private school in Los Angeles at the time, and I had just told the head of school that I wanted to change my career trajectory and start advising students in the college…
Read More51勛圖 Responds to Rick Singers Release from Prison and Plan to Resume College Counseling
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, William Rick Singer, mastermind of the Operation Varsity Blues college admissions scandal, has been released from federal prison and plans to resume college counseling. Singer, along with over 50 people, including Division I coaches, CEOs, and high-profile Hollywood actors, pleaded guilty or were convicted for the admissions conspiracy.…
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