Throughout the academic year, Melinda Giampietro, Options Founder/President, will share some of her favourite things. Melinda loves reading, data, research, and following academic and adolescent news around the world.
Melinda’s 2022 Goal
I have always been goal and project oriented. I like working towards something tangible. So, I am asking for your help! My latest goal is to have 1000 followers on our Options Solutions Instagram account by January 1, 2023. PLEASE follow @optionssolutions and help us spread the word.
Melinda’s Summer Book Pick
I enjoy historical fiction, but I find it is rare to find more modern historical fiction. I really enjoyed Northern Spy, by Flynn Barry. It is set in Belfast and follows two sisters who juggle their allegiances between the IRA and the British territory of Northern Ireland. It was unsettling how the community in Belfast accepts the daily threat of terrorism. I found the questions of how we support and judge our family members interesting, and while reading, Barry encourages us to question our own political and familial loyalties.
Melinda’s Commencement Speech Highlight
I love commencement speeches. A few friends and I bounce them back and forth all of May and June. Whether it is Joe Biden speaking at the University of Delaware or Leila Fadel at Northeastern, commencement speakers are tasked with imparting wisdom and inspiration to the next generation. My favourite this year was Taylor Swift’s NYU speech. Here is my favourite quote:
“As a kid, I always thought I would go away to college, imagining the posters I would hang on the wall on my freshman dorm. I even set the ending of my music video for my song, “Love Story,” at my fantasy, imaginary college, where I’d meet a male model reading a book on the grass, and with one single glance, we realized we’d been in love in our past lives. Which is exactly what you guys all experienced at some point in the last four years, right? But I really can’t complain about not having a normal college experience to you. Because you went to NYU during a global pandemic … I imagine the idea of a normal college experience was all you wanted, too. But in this case, you and I both learned that you don’t always get all the things in the bag that you selected from the menu in the delivery service that is life. You get what you get.”
Melinda’s Summer House Cookie Recipes
I love to bake. Having more time to try recipes is one of the sweetest parts of summer (pun intended!). There is always something in the oven on summer mornings. Every summer, I pick a house cookie. This is the cookie I have waiting when guests arrive to stay for the weekend. It is an summer tradition.
Last year, it was this cookie. It is from the 100 Cookies: The Baking Book for Every Kitchen (#70). This recipe introduced me to freeze-dried strawberries. So this year, our house cookie is Pinch of Yum’s Strawberry and White Chocolate Cookies. They are so good. The perfect balance between tart and sweet, and they are really pretty.
Melinda’s Summer Humour
Monika, a senior educational consultant at Options, shared this with me. It makes us think of the sport recruitment process in the United States. It is a good summer chuckle.
Melinda’s US Admission Summer Watch
This eight-minute PBS News Hour presentation “As colleges and universities drop admission tests, what’s the impact on enrollment?” is thought provoking. It is a deeper look into the test-optional climate than is usually explored in mainstream media. It describes test-optional policies as a way to “change the composition of applicants” at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. The segment discusses the different elements of a candidate’s application and how they are looked at by the Emory admission team.
