Judy Friar has been a counselor for the Anchorage School District for 20 years. She worked with students in the Highly Gifted Program at West High School for the past 13 years. Working with 9th-12th graders she developed a step-by-step approach to guiding students with class choices and extra curricular activities that assisted in a strong resume for their college applications. She guided her students in all areas of college preparation.
Each year West High School had 5 times more National Merit Semi-finalists than any other high school in the Anchorage School District. Due to the number of her students receiving National Merit Finalist status, Mrs. Friar was invited by the National Merit Corporation to Chicago to review the semi-finalist applications. Mrs. Friar was 1 of 7 high school counselors selected from across the nation to work alongside 7 college admission directors reviewing all National Merit applications. This opportunity has gives her first-hand knowledge about the essay writing process and college admission expectations. Additionally, it has given her a base of college admissions officers that she can call upon for advice and strategies.
In addition to the annual work with National Merit, Mrs. Friar has been hosted by many universities including, University of Southern California, Franklin and Marshal, U.C. Berkeley, and Stanford to meet their admission deans and staff. This has provided her great insight into the college admissions process which she passes along to her students. Through these connections Mrs. Friar has invited several college admission officers to Alaska to speak about the trends in admission, the application process and the importance of a well-written application essay.