{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"715: On Becoming: The Art and Craft of Personal Storytelling (Ep 12: The Translator) with Lavon Robinson","description":"Hi, friends, and welcome back to our series, \u201cOn Becoming: The Art and Craft of Personal Storytelling.\u201d I\u2019m Tom Campbell, former Pomona and Holy Cross admissions officer, and one of the CEG podcast co-hosts, alongside my lovely colleagues Tillie and Ethan. In this series, we take a close look at personal essays written by real students, talking about why we love them, what makes them work, and how they came to be.  In this episode, we break down an essay that we\u2019re calling The Translator. This student, who worked with one of our amazing essay coaches Lavon Robinson a few years back, wanted to share how he acted as a translator not just for his brother on the autism spectrum, but for other neurodivergent students in his school and wider community. It\u2019s a model for anyone who wants to write an essay about a relationship that\u2019s been particularly meaningful to them, but is nervous about making the essay too much about the other person. If you\u2019re the kind of person who enjoys seeing how things get made, whether it\u2019s a great meal, a film scene, or a piece of writing, I have a feeling you might enjoy this one. Lavon (he\/him) has always been a coach. From managing fundraising campaigns, teaching swimming, and school counseling, Lavon finds joy in coaching others to find their joy. He earned his BA in Business from Illinois Wesleyan University and his M.ED from DePaul University. He also has a College Counseling Certificate from UCSD. He currently works as a school counselor at an independent school in Chicago after spending eight years as a college counselor at a large suburban high school. He has hosted webinars with 500+ families on how to best work with their school counselor and visited various colleges around the country for professional development. His students have been accepted to colleges including Northwestern University, the University of Southern California, Williams College, and the University of Florida. At the core of his work is building connections with unconditional positive regard as he works with students to build trust and reach their potential. He understands the college admissions process is stressful and takes the most joy in supporting students to relieve anxiety while going through the process. We hope you enjoy.    Play-by-Play 3:15 \u2013 Lavon shares his path from school counseling to becoming a CEG essay coach 6:52 \u2013 What kinds of students does Lavon tend to be matched with as a CEG essay coach? 9:29 \u2013 How does Lavon use CEG's brainstorming exercises to help students reflect, even outside of essay coaching? 10:49 \u2013 What has surprised Lavon most about being an essay coach, and how has his perspective grown? 13:01 \u2013 Do college essays need a title? 14:06 \u2013 Lavon introduces the student behind "The Translator," and how he arrived at CEG already deep into drafts about his brother 18:41 \u2013 How many drafts did it take to find the right balance between the brother and the student himself? 21:16 \u2013 Which brainstorming exercises helped unlock the "translator" theme? 27:01 \u2013 How does Lavon connect a student's roles and identities to CEG's admission nutrients?  31:30 \u2013 Lavon reads the essay, which we\u2019re calling \u201cThe Translator\u201d  36:27 \u2013 Which admission nutrients show up throughout the essay? 38:26 \u2013 What works well in this student\u2019s opening paragraph?  45:13 \u2013 How did Lavon help the student build more vulnerability into each draft? 46:13 \u2013 How does bringing in his own emotional experience keep the essay focused on the student, even while writing about his brother? 47:52 \u2013 How can students write about their extracurriculars without over-explaining them? 53:00 \u2013 How did Lavon coach the student to write about his research in an accessible way? 54:11 \u2013 What does it mean to be "strategically general" in a college essay? 59:48 \u2013 How does closing turn the essay's focus back to the student himself? 1:04:53 \u2013 Why small, specific details are what take an essay from good to great 1:05:59 \u2013 Closing thoughts    Resources \u201cThe Translator\u201d Essay CEG's College Admission Nutrients (aka The Great College Application Test) College Essay Guy\u2019s Personal Statement Resources College Essay Guy\u2019s College Application Hub   ","author_name":"The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions","author_url":"http:\/\/collegeessayguy.libsyn.com\/website","html":"