Upper School College Counselor Karna Humphrey’s substitute John Powell began working one-on-one this month with Humphrey’s advisees as they navigate the application process.

Powell founded Expedition College, a private college consulting business, and was contacted by Director of College Counselling, Mary Hill, in late spring about filling in at SPA. Humphrey worked closely with Powell in the weeks leading up to her maternity leave, introducing him to each of her advisees and discussing their colleges of interests, academic backgrounds, and personalities. “Ms. Humphrey is so easy going that when we met with students, she made it very easy for me to participate with students. We felt as we met and talked with kids that we were already starting to pass that baton,” Powell said.

From student services to admissions to college counseling, Powell has diverse, extensive experience, particularly in the world of undergraduate education. He has been the Assistant to the Dean of Students at Bowdoin College, Assistant Director of Admissions at Macalester College, attorney at Felhaber Larson Law Firm in St. Paul, Director of College Counseling at the Prairie School in Wisconsin, interim college counselor at the Breck School, and most recently, founder of his own consulting business. “College was a great time in my life. It was a real intellectual awakening. I made great, interesting new friends and became much more of an individual. I felt like I was really at the right place to do that, so to help kids find a place that will allow them those similar opportunities for growth and fun is just really exciting,” Powell said. “It never gets old.”

At this stage in the college process, Powell is aiding seniors as they  continue the application process. Humphrey pre-wrote her letters on behalf of her advisees, so it’s now Powell’s job to support them as they take the necessary steps towards admission. “Some kids are still refining their college lists so we might be both expanding and contracting those, balancing it between reaches and likelies.There’s also a lot of work on essays, a lot of looking through common applications and activities sections, too,” he described. 

Powell remains in touch with Humphrey, though the job has largely become his own. He is familiar with this experience, having covered leaves at other independent schools during this period in the admissions process.
“The great thing is that I’ve got this great team here with me- Dr. Sachs and Ms. Hill. When I have questions that are SPA specific, it’s a small enough place that they know students here and can help me out with a lot of that…But if there’s something urgent, by all means, I’ll get in touch with her [Humphrey],” he said.

Powell has used humor and his strong listening skills to connect with Humphrey’s advisees throughout the stressful college application process. “Soliciting and trying to be really sensitive to what students’ priorities and needs are, meeting those, is important. And I do think that humor is something that I use in every aspect of my life to make things go more smoothly and more fun. At the end of the day, if you’re not laughing it’s not a good day,” he said. So far, the transition has gone well with Powell receiving visits from Humphrey’s advisees regularly.

Humphrey will return in mid-January, and the College Counseling office has made a final smooth transition period a priority. “Ms. Humphrey and I will overlap at the end for a period of time just to make sure that nobody feels abandoned. We made sure that there was going to be a really nice transition period on both ends so that everybody felt very comfortable,” Powell said.

From Powell’s perspective, his interim job as a college counselor has been very agreeable. “I’ve really enjoyed being here. The kids here are great. They’re bright, they interact really comfortably with adults. And so many students here have developed really personal interests in a wide range of fields. I’ve really been impressed with everything I’ve seen from students to faculty,” he said.

When all is said and done, Powell will return full-time to his consulting business where he strives to “help out students who go to parochial schools where the counselors don’t have as much time.” He will also begin training for a 200 mile gravel road bike race in Kansas, biking and spending time outdoors being major hobbies of his.