College Essay Guy @ GWI 2025
Conference HANDOUTS + Key Takeaways from the CEG Team:
You'll Receive:
A Chance to Win a Free Virtual Workshop with Ethan Sawyer (College Essay Guy)
Slides for Leading a Powerful Essay Workshop post-SCOTUS and ChatGPT
FGLI Resource Center:
College Admission Resources Following the SCOTUS Decision to End Race-Conscious Admission
Navigating Mental Health Disclosures in the College Application Process
Blog: Should I Discuss Mental Health in My Personal Statement or College Application? (And If So, How)?
A 3-part podcast (with counselor, admission officer, and student perspective)
You’ll also get CEG's Top 10 Essential* Resources for College Counselors
*Essential = most recommended, most beloved, or just generally most awesome
70+ Supplemental Essay Guides
Family Handbook (that counselors can edit)
Professional Development Opportunities
Resource Hub
Counselor Email Templates
One Resource Every Few Days
Heads up: Book Giveaway
We are giving away TONS of free copies of College Essay Essentials and College Admissions Essentials at the CEG Booth in the exhibit hall at GWI 2025.
Please come by and grab a copy for yourself (and a few for your team, too).
Where to find us at the conference
Tuesday, july 29th
Leading Through Chaos: The Superpowers Every Leader Needs Now
When: 11:00am - 12:00pm ET
Where: Hanover FG
Who: Angel Pérez, Ethan Sawyer
Description: In a time of relentless disruption—from political unrest to burnout to mission creep—leaders are being called to develop new capacities. What if thriving as a leader today isn’t about control—but about cultivating something deeper? This session explores that question. Through storytelling, reflection, and practical tools, we’ll explore the inner capacities leaders must develop to not only survive uncertainty, but lead powerfully through it. Participants will leave with practical strategies and daily practices to strengthen their leadership and support their teams through uncertainty and complexity.
Taking College Essays to the Next Level for Underrepresented Students
When: 1:45pm - 2:45pm ET
Where: Hanover AB
Who: Hanah Lim, Ethan Sawyer
Description: The college essay serves as a crucial platform for students to showcase their authentic selves and potential. However, for underrepresented student populations, the essay writing process can be particularly daunting, often compounded by systemic barriers and a lack of access to resources. Without prior exposure to personal narrative writing, they often struggle to find their voice, structure their story, and overcome the belief that they don’t have “impressive” experiences to share.This session will provide equity-driven strategies for guiding students through the essay-writing process in a way that affirms their identities and empowers them to confidently tell their unique stories. We will focus on breaking the process into manageable steps, addressing common misconceptions, and showcasing strengths beyond traditional academic and extracurricular achievements.Attendees will leave with actionable strategies. We will incorporate real student examples, before-and-after essay transformations, and interactive exercises that can be applied immediately with students.
Wednesday, july 30th
Talking About Race in College Essays: Practical Guidance for 2025
When: 10:00am - 11:00am ET
Where: Dunwoody
Who: Ralph Figueroa, Ethan Sawyer, Baron Vanderburg
Description: In the wake of the Dept. of Education's "Dear Colleague" letter, providing students and counselors clear guidance on what’s “okay” in college essays is more crucial than ever. In this session, we’ll provide an up-to-date interpretation of the law, share what other colleges and universities are saying, and open up time for you to hear from other college admission colleagues on steps they're taking. Then we’ll share specific language and student-written examples you can use in your conversations and presentations when a student asks, “Can I talk about my race in my college essay?”
Opportunities to connect
Can you support one low-income student this year with 10 hours of mentoring through our Matchlighters program?
Check out our 2024-2025 Matchlighters profile.
Learn more and sign up here: https://collegeessayguy.com/matchlighters
Qs? Reach out to Erika at erika@collegeessayguy.com
Interested in collaborating on new FGLI-centered resources?
College Essay Guy reaches millions of students each year through our blog and webinars, and a large number of our students identify as first-gen and low-income. If you’re interested in co-writing a blog post or presenting on topics specific to FGLI students, click here to tell us a little about your background, experience and super powers.
Want College Essay Guy to present at your upcoming fly-in session?
Reach out to Erika + Ethan at erika@collegeessayguy.com and let’s talk.
Interested in sharing more about your institution with our Matchlighters Scholars?
Reach out to Erika at erika@collegeessayguy.com
