2019 Those Who Excel Recipient: Nancy Davis
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NANCY DAVIS
Nancy Davis has been recognized with the Award of Excellence in the Student Support Personnel category for her extensive work as a college counselor at John Hersey High School.
“Nancy has the rare ability to be more things to more people than most ever dreamed of being. ”
As Hersey’s college counselor, she has spent the last decade building a comprehensive college and career program from the ground up to give all students and parents access to information about post-high school options. The program now offers regular sessions on areas such as researching colleges, taking standardized tests and securing financial aid; career topics for the freshmen and sophomore curricula; parent presentations; online resources and emails; and quarterly parent newsletters.
In addition to working with students one-on-one, Davis collaborates with college counselors throughout the District on programs that supplement school-specific projects. She also set up a program at Hersey to teach staff members how to edit college essays, resulting in trained staff working with 164 seniors to edit 273 college essays last year.
Davis also participates in professional development as an active member of multiple organizations, including the National Association for College Admissions Counseling, the Illinois Association for College Admissions Counseling and the American School Counseling Association. She is a founding board member and current secretary of International College Options, a nonprofit group that educates students and teachers about international college opportunities.
In nominating Davis, Hersey Principal Gordon Sisson said, “Nancy has the rare ability to be more things to more people than most ever dreamed of being. Her vision, initiative, willingness to take on organizational leadership positions and ability to go beyond the rest of her colleagues in these efforts is clearly obvious to most who work with her or attend an event featuring some of Nancy’s insight. … This ability to see need, and to lead change addressing that need, is what truly makes Nancy deserving and special.”
Davis holds a master’s degree in school counseling from National Louis University, a master’s degree in business from Columbia University and a degree in education from Northwestern University. She started her professional life as a development officer for private universities and as an investment counselor on Wall Street before becoming a college counselor, a job switch inspired by working with her own children on the college selection and admissions process.
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