Adam Kendis

Background

About Adam Kendis

In my 20 years as an educator, I have collaborated with students and families on three continents, spanning diverse socio-economic backgrounds and educational settings including both public and private schools. My primary goal is to help students have meaningful educational experiences that foster personal growth and facilitate long-term academic and career goal attainment. Here are the four primary areas of my professional experience: COLLEGE COUNSELING: I center my counseling in personal reflection - I love helping students learn more about who they are, who they want to be and which steps will help them reach their goals. I focus on building transferable skills and agency while helping students find great-fit postsecondary options. I particularly enjoy working with students and families from low and middle income households to help them find affordable options. I center all that I do on having a healthy and positive process that works to minimize stress, while helping students submit outstanding applications. POSTSECONDARY SUCCESS COUNSELING: I utilize intrusive advising - advising that is timely, accurate and without invitation - as an integral part of facilitating postsecondary success. This is because many students, especially first-generation students, recent transfers and other first-experience students, may not know the right questions to ask or the resources available. I also focus on helping to foster a sense of belonging within the university because students who feel cared about, respected, and a part of a community are more successful and feel better about their experiences. EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING: I strive to facilitate ‘learning by doing’ in real world situations as frequently as possible because these have been the times when I have seen the most growth in students. Some examples include organizing mock interviews and one-on-one essay feedback sessions with college admissions representatives for high school juniors and seniors, and week-long college tour trips. OUTDOOR EDUCATION: Some of my most meaningful experiences as an educator are helping students realize potential they didn’t know they had. Some personal highlights: a one-week trip to Cape Verde, West Africa, to learn about food security; a two-week stay on a Lakota Sioux reservation to learn about Native American culture; a two-day hike up Mt. Katahdin, Maine, to build leadership; and a four-day canoeing trip in the New Jersey Pine Barrens to prompt students to reflect on how it felt to be outside their comfort zone.