From her corner-tucked office in the college counseling suite to the mindful spaces she curates across campus, Ms. Heather Stinson’s compassionate smile is familiar to all those who have met her. Whether it be through evaluating college choices and revising essays or joining her for a Mindfulness Club session and good chat, she has left a lasting mark of warmth in the community. After eleven years advising upper schoolers, she will now join the Sanford School outside of Wilmington, Delaware, as their Director of College Counseling.
Ms. Stinson’s primary role is and has always been college counseling. However, her perception of this role transcends college specifically.
“The most important thing to me is knowing students outside the realm of the college counseling office,” Ms. Stinson said.
In fact, her transition from her role in collegiate admissions to counseling at an independent school was driven by that exact vision.
“I wanted my reach in the community to be broader than just my office,” Ms. Stinson said, “and that’s something Haverford has really supported me in.
To achieve that goal, Ms. Stinson has engaged with the community in a multitude of ways.
“I’ve taught yoga to everybody—from faculty and staff to ninth graders and the lacrosse team. I’ve had the distinct privilege to co-lead two trips: one to Cuba and one to Iceland. I’ve gotten to chaperone prom, [and] I’ve led IC Day excursions,” Ms. Stinson said.
These experiences have proven the most rewarding for Ms. Stinson.
“All of these things complement my work in the college counseling office,” she said. “My path crosses with students’ paths, which makes me better at my job. That’s been the most rewarding experience.”
Among Ms. Stinson’s favorite communal activities is her advisorship of the Mindfulness Club, which provides an often undiscovered break for students.
“Mindfulness Club and teaching yoga has been so much fun,” she said. “It’s so rewarding to give students an opportunity to not only calm their minds and bodies, but also to maybe introduce them to something that could be super helpful to them.”
In a college admissions scene that appears increasingly mechanical, she has used such community experiences to remind her students of their humanity.
“I love reminding students of their humanity and encouraging them to be comfortable with their imperfections and making sure that they understand that no one is expecting them to be perfect,” Ms. Stinson said. “Being able to put a little more counseling and a little less college in this role is something I’ve really enjoyed doing here.”
As Ms. Stinson completes her final preparations before her departure in July, her focus remains on her students as they make a transition to a new counselor.
“My primary focus right now is making sure that all of my college counselees and advisees are feeling calm and confident about the transition—knowing that they have everything that they need, and knowing that the transition between me and a new counselor [or advisor] in the fall is going to be seamless,” she said.
“I’m trying to go about my days in a way that allows me to really appreciate being here with students and with my colleagues. These folks are my family.”
Ms. Heather Stinson
In addition, Ms. Stinson has also found an opportunity to reflect on her relationships at the school.
“I’m trying to go about my days in a way that allows me to really appreciate being here with students and with my colleagues. These folks are my family,” she said. “Mr. Cousins, Ms. Ley, and I joke about how we sometimes spend more time with each other than we do with our spouses.”
For Ms. Stinson, this family has cemented deep friendships.
“There are people that I’ve met here at Haverford who have become my absolute closest friends, so understanding that those relationships are not going to fade away, but are going to change, [I’m] trying to really enjoy being in the same space with those folks for the next couple of days. I’m realizing this is it. It’s my responsibility to know that I have to make the most of this time I have left.”
Ms. Stinson sees the transition as an opportunity of excitement, looking happily at her time at Haverford.
“I leave [Haverford] feeling really excited about the next steps but also very happy and satisfied with what I’ve been able to do here—the mark I’ve left on the school,” Ms. Stinson said. “I leave with a very fond place for Haverford in my heart.”
For students still in the college search, she would like to remind them of the important message she shared in her Reflection earlier this year.
“I would like Haverford students to know: where you go is not who you’re going to be and that it’s the student [who] makes the college, the college doesn’t make the student,” Ms. Stinson said. [The college search] always works out. It absolutely does. That doesn’t mean it’s perfect or without bumps, but students always end up whole and challenged and embraced and supported.”
“Let the wind blow you where it blows you,” Ms. Stinson said. “Be intentional, but also know you’re going to land where you need to land.”
