Jesuit is not only known for a good education, but an education that produces results. This can perhaps be seen through what students do immediately following graduation. Jesuit sends students to schools all around the country, from big state schools to Ivy Leagues. Essential to this success is the college counseling team. This year, Jesuit added two college counselors to the team, each with experience in the college admissions field. I had the chance to interview one of them, Ms. Jacqueline Ortiz.
Background and Journey to Jesuit
Ms. Ortiz was born and raised in Irving, Texas, attending Irving High School. After graduation, she attended the University of Chicago, majoring in public policy with an emphasis on education. After college, she came back to Texas to work for the City of Irving in their Urban and Zone Planning department.
Feeling a calling to higher education, she started looking around at different schools, eventually taking a job at Southern Methodist University as an admissions counselor. While there, she obtained her Master’s Degree in Higher Education and was promoted to Assistant Director of Admissions. She graduated in May 2025 alongside Mr. Nyemike Okonkwo, the other college counselor new to the school.
When Mrs. Anna Buehn, the current Director of College Counseling, came to Jesuit in the spring of 2024, Ms. Ortiz remained close friends with her. That friendship, along with recommendations from her friends, led her to take the Associate Director of College Counseling position.
First Months at Jesuit
One of the things that has surprised Ms. Ortiz is how heavily service is engraved into the school. Additionally, she stated that she was impressed with how well-rounded the school is, saying:
“When I look at a [jesuit] student’s resume I see service, I see athletics, I see leadership, I see random clubs on there.”
While she was at SMU, Ms. Ortiz encountered a lot of students whose schools didn’t have a college counseling department. When she encountered these students, there was plenty of advice she wanted to give but couldn’t because “that wasn’t her role.” This desire to help succeed in the college admissions process is in part what led her to becoming a college counselor at Jesuit.
Tips and Tricks
Ms. Ortiz has a number of tips and tricks for the college application process. First, she recommends that a counselor look over every aspect of a student’s application. “Admissions counselors,” she says, “read through [a student’s] application in two minutes.” Because of this, small details such as the order one’s activities are listed in can make a difference.
Another piece of advice she has is to keep track of deadlines. This is especially true for colleges who use multiple applications. Most often colleges will have separate applications for major scholarship programs. One notable example is the Hunt Leadership Scholars Program at Southern Methodist University, which recent graduate Brody Carlson ’25 was a recipient of.
Third, she emphasized the importance of demonstrated interests. One of the best ways to demonstrate interest is to take an official admissions visit. While this might be practical for schools far away, you can also demonstrate interest by coming to a college visit at your own school. More likely than not, the person visiting will be the one reading your application.
Integrating AI
AI has become prominent in the past few years, and Ms. Ortiz believes AI will be integrated into the admissions process. For students, AI might lead to more polished essays. Additionally, AI can be used as a “google search on steroids,” helping students find information about certain schools, and find a school that matches certain characteristics. She cautions students with using AI to completely write their college essays, as many schools use AI detectors.
If you see Ms. Ortiz is the hallways, be sure to say hello, and stay tuned to The Roundup for more faculty profiles!
