Dean of College Counseling Julio Mata’s office features a large map of the world full of small white paper airplanes and yellow flags. The flags represent where he has already travelled, and the airplanes represent where he wants to go.
Mata joined the Chadwick community this year and has already integrated seamlessly into the community. When asked about his reason for choosing Chadwick, Mata cites the strong sense of community he felt when he visited as a college representative and his prior experiences with the Chadwick college counseling team: “I have known Ms. Browne and Ms. Miranda for years,” Mata says. “We have so many friends in common, and knowing they were at Chadwick encouraged me to leave my home in San Diego. I knew I was coming into a team that was phenomenal and that Chadwick had a really close-knit community that I wanted to be a part of.”
Mata’s colleagues have already formed strong relationships with Him and have learned about his hobbies, favorites, and pastimes. Executive Director of College Counseling Sara Miranda says, “Mr. Mata loves Flaming Hot Cheetos, and dozens of college admission officers bring them to him when they come to visit.”
Along with being a college counselor for more than 15 years and an avid traveller, Mata has also been a contestant on two game shows: Wheel of Fortune and Press Your Luck. Mata explains that these shows have helped him with his work as a college counselor.
“In Wheel of Fortune, I used the mindset and skills that I see students take on during the college admissions process,” Mata explains. “When I saw students full send during application season, I wanted to do the same thing in the game shows I was a part of. I see students doing application work and research, and I had to do the same for my game shows. I had to trust the process. I went into these shows to have fun and have cool experiences, and it helped me encourage students to see the college process as the same.”
He says that he also experienced the same “impostor syndrome” that students experience when they unexpectedly get into highly selective institutions. When he was chosen as one of 30 contestants out of 30,000 applications, he felt the same shock and surprise and wondered what had set him apart from other applicants.
Mata’s unique experiences have helped him create unique connections with students and focus on the moments when a student can ascertain what they want to do with their future. He describes this as an “a-ha moment” and calls it his “favorite part of the college admissions process” – getting to see students figure out their future, whether it be their career, major, or college.
However much Mata loves the “a-ha moments” in the college admissions process, he isn’t a fan of standardized tests. He says these tests put lots of pressure on top of the stress students already feel from academics and supplemental essays, and students often get mixed messages from colleges about the importance of test scores: Colleges say they want students who think outside of the box, but standardized tests don’t assess creativity.
Mata’s colleagues are already enthusiastic about his time at Chadwick, with Sara Miranda saying, “Mr. Mata brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Chadwick School, which will be tremendously helpful in his work with students. He is committed to being a thought partner and advocate for Chadwick students in their transition to college.”
Dean of College Counseling Libby Browne adds: “There’s a reason he’s been on national game shows twice now…He’s unforgettable, and everyone roots for him the moment they meet him. He brings that same energy to rooting for and supporting our students, too.”
