By Amy Hammer
It is time to introduce the second contributor for our new blog series, Julio Mata of Miami University. If you did not catch our first blog posting with April Crabtree of University of San Francisco, please click here.
“The Rising Professional” – 5-10 years
Julio Mata – Senior Assistant Director for Regional Recruitment at Miami University
- Alma Mater: Bowling Green State University (Bachelors), Miami University (in-progress of completing Masters)
- Hometown: Harlington, TX
I fell into the world of college admissions, as so many of us seem to do. I was a tour guide in college and was invited to join a recruitment trip to Texas alongside the admissions counselor who introduced me to my alma mater. Quickly, I realized how much I enjoyed telling the story of how I got to college and sharing how a college education was a reality for the students I spoke with. After graduating in 2008, I took a temporary position in the BGSU Office of Admission covering information sessions and hosting visitors during the fall travel season. Even though I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of that office, I moved to the Seattle, WA area for a job with a Christian non-profit organization. As things in that job didn’t pan out, I was given another opportunity to join the BGSU Admissions staff in January of 2010. It was during this time at BGSU that I realized that I loved this temporary job and wanted this to become my career. Later that year, I accepted a position at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL and began learning all of the ins and outs of college admissions. During my 2 and a half year tenure at FAU, I met many dynamic and passionate admissions professionals across the Southeast through my involvement in SACAC. It was the relationships built with these individuals that helped solidify my commitment to this profession.
Now, I am the Senior Assistant Director for Regional Recruitment at Miami University in Oxford, OH based out of San Diego. When I moved back to the West Coast in August 2012, I was eager to meet my future colleagues in WACAC and learn about the college admissions landscape in California. Little did I know, though, that my best teachers and mentors would be standing alongside me at college fairs that fall when I began my involvement with the Regional Admissions Counselors of California (RACC). Through RACC I have had the chance to connect with and learn from some of the best admissions veterans in the country. As I enter my 7th admissions cycle, I find myself in a position to start giving back to people who are just entering the world of college admissions while still learning from other leaders in our field. All in all, I would say that it was opportunity that got me into college admissions but it is relationships that have kept me college admissions for the foreseeable future.
Stay tuned for next week’s post in this series: The New Professional!