Four new admission officers joined the school this year after a number of departures from the department over the summer. Among those officers are an interim Head of Admission and Enrollment, Assistant Director of Admission, Admission Administrator and two Admission Counselors.

After Head of Admission and Enrollment Aaron Mieszczanski left the school, Director of Financial Aid Greg Gonzalez became the Interim Head of Admission and Enrollment. Gonzalez said he is temporarily stepping into the position because the school could not find a suitable candidate to permanently fill the role. 

President Rick Commons said the school worked with the Admission Office over the summer and is confident in its ability to run the admission process.

“We were sorry to see [Mieszczanski] go, and when he made his decision, I think [Assistant Director of Admission Megan Salmon] and [Admission Administrator Sara Vong] thought hard about whether it was a good point to transition to a different place in their careers,” Commons said. “We spent the summer focusing on the process, and we are very excited about the people who have come in. I think [Gonzalez] knows the system, and we would not have handed him the interim job if we did not think he was capable of handling it.” 

After the school received a record number of applications last year, Gonzalez said the Admission Office worked on making a smooth transition before the admission season begins.

“Summer is a time for planning and for organization,” Gonzalez said. “There is a tremendous infrastructure put in place, and Ms. Salmon and Ms. Vong left some incredible blueprints, but we also have many new people, and I look forward to these new people contributing their ideas and their expertise. I think [this year’s admission season] will be a very effective and exciting blend of the best practices and new ideas.”

Newly-hired Assistant Director of Admission Veronica Zapata said the Admission Office provided her with helpful training and support before stepping into her role.

“This will be my fourth admission season ever and my first at an independent 7-12 school,” Zapata said. “The training I have received has been helpful, and everyone has been supportive. There is definitely a learning curve, but I know I can ask my colleagues for help.”

Gonzalez said he hopes to connect with more schools across Los Angeles in order to foster a more inclusive community. 

“I am looking forward to connecting with the schools that send their students here,” Gonzalez said. “We want to expand our reach into all of Los Angeles, so I am really looking forward to connecting with people by either reintroducing [ourselves] and continuing a relationship we have already built or establishing a new relationship. We want to make our school as excellent as possible and live up to that mission statement of diversity and inclusion.”