For the first time in 12 years, Choate will welcome a new Director of Admission. Mr. Amin Abdul-Malik Gonzalez will succeed Mr. Ray Diffley III in July, after the school formally extended a job offer to Mr. Gonzalez on March 15. Along with assuming the role of the Director of Admissions, Mr. Gonzalez will also become a member of the senior administrative team, meaning he will help make major decisions with the Board of Trustees and other senior administrators concerning the school.
Mr. Gonzalez has been the Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions and Co-Director of Multicultural Recruitment at Yale University since 2008. He was appointed a member of the international admission committee, and he has also been in charge of managing Yale’s relationship with Questbridge, a program that helps students who don’t have the financial means to afford higher education. Ms. Wallace described Mr. Gonzalez’s former role with Questbridge at Yale as “almost like running your own admission office within an admission office.”
Mr. Gonzalez said, “My first task at Choate is to appreciate it as fully as I can. It is really important to take the temperature of the place and then see what areas, from an admissions perspective, could use the most attention. Having said that, in all of my previous posts I’ve always been about increasing access for promising young people. That access can extend globally, locally, socioeconomically, religiously, and racially. I think Choate is an institution that should be known to all, should be aspired to by most, and should more than meet the needs of those students who ultimately enroll.”
He added, “I like to see students in a variety of settings and support their growth however, I can. For me, the ability to see them not just in classrooms, but around campus and the opportunity to be a resource for them is extremely important.” He added, “The parts I find most fulfilling include watching students realize their full potential, whether I have direct contact with them or observe their accomplishments from a distance.”
Ms. Wallace described Mr. Gonzalez as “intelligent, thoughtful, collaborative, knowledgeable — he is going to be an exciting new face in our admission office.”
“I think that our families coming in will connect with him and like him,” Headmaster Dr. Alex Curtis remarked. “He’s a wonderful combination of being likable, fun to be around, thoughtful, and intellectual.”
Choate hired a search firm called Wickenden Associates to help find a new Director of Admission earlier this year, after discovering Mr. Diffley would be leaving his post to become the Director of the Center for Admission and Enrollment Management Leadership in the Association of Independent School Admission Professionals (AISAP).
The school drafted an opportunity statement for candidates and received many applications. “This was a position that had a lot of interest. It’s significant, and it’s an internationally known opportunity,” said Dr. Curtis. “There were probably hundreds of applicants. We only spoke directly to about 10 or 12 of those applicants, and we had a small number of people who had a full day of interviews.” He continued, “We were looking for someone who was deeply experienced in admissions; who knew boarding schools, especially ones with as diverse a student body as we have, both nationally and internationally; and who supported the values of the school and had experience with the really large process that we’ve got here.”
After the interviews, Choate narrowed down the field to three finalists.
Ms. Wallace commented on some of the attributes Choate noticed in Mr. Gonzalez. She said, “He brings with him experience as a student at a peer school, as a teacher, a coach, and college counselor in other secondary independent schools, and as an admission officer in institutions of higher education.” She added, “Not only has he been an officer at institutions of higher education, but he’s also had a range of responsibilities at those schools.”
Mr. Gonzalez has experience working not only in colleges, but also in boarding schools, such as Northfield Mount Hermon and the McDonogh School, where he was the Co-Director of College Counseling. He was also a student at Loomis Chaffee.
Mr. Gonzalez shared the tremendous impact his experiences have had on him. “I am a lifelong believer in the power of education because it has changed my life,” he exclaimed. He grew up as a Puerto-Rican orphan in Spanish Harlem, New York City. When he was a teenager, he applied to Loomis Chaffee and was awarded the Albert G. Olveri Scholarship from the school. From there, he went to Wesleyan University, where he received a B.A. in history. At Northfield Mount Hermon and the McDonogh School, he taught history, coached for the football and wrestling teams, and served as a college counselor.
He first heard about the new opening for the Director of Admission job at Choate from colleagues who were Choate alumni.
A large part of Mr. Gonzalez’s philosophy regarding admissions stems from his interactions with Mr. Drew Casertano, a former Director of Admission at Loomis Chaffee. Mr. Casertano ensured that Mr. Gonzalez could enjoy the full Loomis Chaffee experience without being limited by financial reasons. “His actions have stayed with me many years later — that the admission process isn’t just about bringing people here, but making sure that they are able to fly, be cared for, and feel supported in becoming extensions of their family,” said Mr. Gonzalez.
He continued, “I treat students whom I’ve recruited or had contact with as if they were my own children, and I make sure they have the benefit of my advocacy, my counsel, or whatever wisdom I can impart.”
He looks forward to working at Choate, noting, “I think one of the most rewarding aspects will be transitioning from a highly selective university setting that received tens of thousands of outstanding applicants and admitted significantly fewer than we would have lived. I look forward to calibrating to Choate’s selectivity and being able to afford more students truly exciting educational opportunities. In addition to responding to polished students with stellar credentials, our team will be looking for those who show immense potential as well. These students may have less than perfect but quite strong credentials, good hearts, and lots of abilities and ways to add to the community.”
Mr. Gonzalez concluded, “I’m firmly committed to expanding Choate’s recruitment efforts. We want to be visible in every space, and ensure prospective students and families, from near and far, appreciate Choate’s diverse education, supportive community, and incredible resources.”
