Meet the Author: Angela Montgomery

Never in my life have I met a person who meant to have a career in higher education.

To the best of my knowledge, no kid has ever come up to me and said "Hey, when I grow up, I think I'll work in University Admissions! Yet here we all are, providing critical support and vital services to those who are pursing school beyond the K–12 space. I would be willing to wager that, for most, this path happened as a result of a very specific experience or person: The academic advisor who never let you miss a requirement; the admissions counselor who served as therapist as you relayed all your hopes and dreams and figured out a good fit for your future; the educator who seemed available to answer your questions not just during office hours but via email at obscene times of the day and night.

Certainly, for me this was the case. I am a product of some of the most amazing educators in the world, people I try daily to emulate.

In a former life, I was a classically trained musician, majoring in vocal music education. Until one day I realized that while I loved music and children, I didn't love teaching music even a little bit. This revelation came from a pivotal conversation with a trusted advisor and began my career searching for spaces to work with students where we could have these kinds of conversations, often outside of the traditional classroom setting.

Over my 21 years as an educator, I have been a residence hall director at a private boarding school, a middle school and high school teacher at a public boarding school, an assistant volleyball coach and school central office operations manager at an inner city school, a university professor, a journal editor, an academic advisor, a student organization and student services director, an academic program manager, an admissions director and an international recruiter.

I feel incredibly fortunate that these varied experiences across age groups, geographies, and socioeconomic differences have provided me the wide lens through which to view educational opportunity. I'm still a music nerd at heart and wish that more of our complex societal issues could be solved via dance off. But understanding this is unlikely, I instead work tirelessly in learning spaces addressing ways to make our society stronger through educational opportunities and advocacy.

And through having these important conversations.

I earned my PhD from Penn State focusing on decision-making, ethics, and the laws involved in running schools. And it is through those eyes that I view my daily work with students, families, and university stakeholders.

Anything noteworthy that comes out of my mouth can likely be attributed to early episodes of Saturday Night Live, Christopher Guest movies, OR all things Aaron Sorkin or Daniel Tiger. I enjoy very strong coffee, jazz, and hanging with my two insanely energetic young children.