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Virtual Author Talk

Irena Smith - "The Golden Ticket to College Admissions"

2024-08-15 14:00:00 2024-08-15 15:00:00 America/New_York Virtual Author Talk Join us for this LIVE author talk by Irena Smith, PhD to hear about constructive and healthy ways to approach the college application process, for both parents and teens. Westlake Porter Public Library - Online

Thursday, August 15
2:00pm - 3:00pm

Add to Calendar 2024-08-15 14:00:00 2024-08-15 15:00:00 America/New_York Virtual Author Talk Join us for this LIVE author talk by Irena Smith, PhD to hear about constructive and healthy ways to approach the college application process, for both parents and teens. Westlake Porter Public Library - Online

Join us for this LIVE author talk by Irena Smith, PhD to hear about constructive and healthy ways to approach the college application process, for both parents and teens.

Another college application season is around the corner, and stress is already beginning to ratchet up for teens and their parents. You’re invited to join us for this must-watch talk by Irena Smith, PhD. You will hear about constructive and healthy ways to approach the college application process, preserve your relationship with your teen, and help them define success on their terms instead of chasing the elusive “golden ticket.”

Irena is a former Stanford Admissions Officer who has spent 18 years advising accomplished, tightly-wound students in Palo Alto and around the world. She saw firsthand the extreme measures parents took to help their children gain admission to highly selective colleges and the toll it took on the children as well as on their parents.

At the same time, Irena’s own children struggled with developmental delays, learning differences, severe depression, and anxiety. She kept her double life—successful college counselor at work, anxious mom at home—tightly under wraps for years until a stunning realization: she was exactly like the anxious parents of the students she worked with, all of whom were equally terrified about their children's future. Irena’s memoir, The Golden Ticket: A Life in College Admissions Essays, which candidly explores her personal as well as professional life, was published in 2023, and she has since devoted her time to speaking out about hard things: the heavy burden of generational expectations, teen and young adult mental health, and the importance of embracing a broader, more generous vision of what it means to succeed. To learn more about Irena’s personal experience as a parent, professional experience as a college admissions officer, and leave with tips on how to help your child approach the application process in practical, healthy ways–register now!

About the Author

Irena Smith is an author, former Stanford admissions officer, independent college counselor, and mother of three extraordinary children. She emigrated from the former Soviet Union with her parents when she was nine years old. In spite of her fierce insistence that she would never, not ever, learn English, she went on to earn a BA in English and then a PhD in Comparative Literature (both from UCLA, where she received a Distinguished Teaching Assistant Award and Dissertation Year Fellowship). Irena taught literature and composition at UCLA and Stanford before transitioning to college admissions, college advising, and writing. Her recently published memoir, The Golden Ticket: A Life in College Admissions Essays is the winner of the Story Circle Network's Gilda Award, named in honor of comedian Gilda Radner to recognize honest, authentic writing that "makes us laugh even when we want to cry." It's been described by Forbes as “captivating and smart… a potential antidote to the fevered belief that being admitted to an elite college will spell the difference between a successful life vs. a doomed future.”


Brought to you in partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium. Visit our site to see all events, register and explore recordings of past events.

AGE GROUP: | Adults |

EVENT TYPE: | Books and Authors |

TAGS: | LSC |

Westlake Porter Public Library

Phone: (440) 871-2600
Fax: (440) 871-6969

Hours
We're closed Friday July 04 due to Independence Day
Mon, Jun 30 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Tue, Jul 01 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Wed, Jul 02 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Thu, Jul 03 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Fri, Jul 04 Closed
(Independence Day)
Sat, Jul 05 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Sun, Jul 06 1:00PM to 5:00PM
Mon, Jun 30 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Tue, Jul 01 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Wed, Jul 02 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Thu, Jul 03 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Fri, Jul 04 Closed
(Independence Day)
Sat, Jul 05 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Sun, Jul 06 1:00PM to 5:00PM

About the branch

Westlake Porter Public Library is an independent public library serving the residents of the city of Westlake, western Cuyahoga County and eastern Lorain County. The library is located at 27333 Center Ridge Road in Westlake, Ohio. Anyone who lives, works, owns property, or goes to school in Ohio can register for a free library card.

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Wed, Jul 16, 5:00pm - 6:00pm
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Thomas A. Fox Board Room

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Thu, Jul 17, 1:00pm - 2:30pm
Registration opens Thursday, July 10 2025 at 9:00am

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Registration opens Thursday, July 10 2025 at 9:00am

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Mon, Jul 21, 1:00pm - 7:00pm
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Mon, Jul 21, 3:00pm - 3:45pm
Technology Training Lab
Registration opens Monday, July 14 2025 at 9:00am

Tue, Jul 22, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
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Tue, Jul 22, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
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Wed, Jul 23, 11:00am - 11:45am
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Registration opens Wednesday, July 16 2025 at 9:00am

Wed, Jul 23, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Makerspace,Technology Training Lab
Registration opens Wednesday, July 2 2025 at 9:00am

Wed, Jul 23, 5:00pm - 6:00pm
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Wed, Jul 23, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Dover Room

Thu, Jul 24, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
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Registration opens Thursday, July 17 2025 at 9:00am

Fri, Jul 25, 1:30pm - 3:00pm
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Fri, Jul 25, 4:00pm - 4:45pm
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Registration opens Friday, July 18 2025 at 9:00am

Sat, Jul 26, 10:00am - 4:00pm
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Sat, Jul 26, 11:00am - 11:45am
Storytime Room
Registration opens Saturday, July 19 2025 at 9:00am

Sat, Jul 26, 2:00pm - 4:00pm

Sun, Jul 27, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
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Sun, Jul 27, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Craft Room
Registration opens Sunday, July 20 2025 at 9:00am

Mon, Jul 28, 3:00pm - 3:45pm
Technology Training Lab
Registration opens Monday, July 21 2025 at 9:00am

Tue, Jul 29, 9:30am - 9:50am
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Tue, Jul 29, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Porter Room

Tue, Jul 29, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
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Wed, Jul 30, 5:00pm - 6:00pm
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Storytime Room
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Wed, Jul 30, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
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