Stories from the Front Lines of College Admissions: A Conversation with Beth Heller Gelles & Dr. Denise Pope

College admissions has become overwhelming and emotionally exhausting for families. Parents feel anxious, students feel pressured, and everyone is swimming in mixed messages. This conversation is designed to bring perspective and reassurance to a process that has grown increasingly stressful.

Drawing from fourteen years of working with families, Beth Heller Gelles shares real stories from the front lines of college admissions and insights from her forthcoming book, Crazy for College: The Stories, The Secrets, & The Shot of Sanity You Need to Make It Through Admissions. Her focus is not on “getting in,” but on helping parents lower the temperature, make thoughtful choices, and keep relationships intact along the way.

Joining Beth is Dr. Denise Pope, senior lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Education and co-founder of Challenge Success, a national nonprofit that partners with K-12 schools and families to expand narrow definitions of success and implement policies and practices that allow all students to thrive. Dr. Pope’s work is grounded in the understanding that student well-being, belonging, and engagement are deeply interconnected—and essential to long-term success.

The evening will feature a fireside chat followed by audience Q&A and a book signing.