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<\/a>Montanez arrived at Fieldston in the fall of 2001, transitioning from the corporate to the educational world. \u201cThe college program was expanding as Fieldston grew, and the community needed someone who could manage a complex, unwieldy and high-stakes process and knew how to support kids,\u201d said Montanez. \u201cI have been here doing just that ever since.\u201d Her enthusiasm and work ethic demonstrate how deeply she cares about the Fieldston community, to the point where the office has become a second home and her colleagues and students a second family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Montanez\u2019s primary responsibilities as Manager of the College Office depend mainly on the season. Generally speaking, however, her duties entail \u201cmanaging projects, programs, events, College Office resources, schedules and applications.\u201d A job description as challenging and a workload as busy as hers come with many challenges, but Montanez maintains her optimistic character no matter what. \u201cThere are lots of different things that can present obstacles to families in the college application process,\u201d she remarked. \u201cWhile we manage that, I am always compassionate about how this affects everyone, especially because I went through it too. But, I also know it can be figured out.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
No matter the season, Montanez always balances work and fun, making room to engage with the community beyond the work-heavy aspects of her job. \u201cInteracting and communicating with our students is among my favorite parts of my job,\u201d she said with a smile. \u201cMy other favorite part is the environment we’ve created amongst my colleagues in the College Office. We work hard, but we also know how to laugh and celebrate (and even dance) with each other. They are some of my favorite people in the world!\u201d Montanez treasures the individual relationships she builds with her students and colleagues. Incoming Associate Director of College Counseling Rachel Ehrlich noted, \u201cZ brings a balance of warmth and accountability to the College Office \u2014 the epitome of the \u2018warm demander\u2019!\u201d Indeed, she always stays on top of things, and one can tell how much she genuinely cares about each and every student at Fieldston.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Along with an impeccable work ethic, Montanez also boasts a wonderful personality. She values kindness more than anything; in fact, her biggest pet peeve is when people are unkind. As she says, \u201cIt costs you nothing to be kind!\u201d She spends much of her time outside of work with her other family. \u201cI love to cook,\u201d she said, \u201cand I love Sundays because my family gets together for a meal.\u201d Montanez\u2019s delightful personality and clear-cut commitment to everyone\u2019s success make the College Office less of a place of stress and anxiety and more of a setting for community-building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Montanez\u2019s affability resonates strongly with students. \u201cShe\u2019s very fun to talk to, and she\u2019s an incredible multitasker,\u201d noted recent graduate Sophia Gutierrez \u201823. \u201cShe knows the stress and difficulties that come with applying to college, and she always had answers to my questions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This understanding of students\u2019 experiences stems largely from the fact that her daughter, Sophie, attended Fieldston since preschool and graduated in 2018. Montanez emphasized how going through the college process with her daughter shaped not only her connection to Fieldston but also her approach to her job, saying, \u201cI treat every one of you like you are my own children! And that means I care about you, and I want the best for you, just as your college counselors do. So, I am going to celebrate all of your wins and be honest with you without judging you. When that doesn’t work, I just bribe you with Jameel’s candy and treats.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Montanez, the fitting \u201cfixer of everything\u201d title came from her colleagues and has since remained a running joke in the office. \u201cI just try to ensure that things run so smoothly that there isn’t much to \u2018fix,\u2019\u201d she explained. Montanez\u2019s expertise and trustworthy character significantly help students navigate the vicissitudes of the college process. \u201cOver the years, she’s been a champion for students and the College Office Team,\u201d added Ehrlich. She’s really our core and our heart. Friend, parent, colleague\u2026 she’s simply the best!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can all learn from Montanez\u2019s optimistic energy, not only as we navigate the college admissions cycle but also as we grow up and develop our characters. As she always says, \u201cBeing nervous about what is to come is OK! It is normal. But it won’t feel like that forever, and you know what I always tell all of you: \u2018It always works out!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The College Office can be intimidating, especially to juniors who are just getting started with their applications. While counselors get most of the students\u2019 attention, few know about the person who runs the show behind the scenes. Zoraida Montanez, colloquially known as \u201cZ,\u201d serves as Fieldston\u2019s Manager of College Counseling and handles the office\u2019s scheduling and correspondence. We\u2019ve all seen her welcoming students into the College Office and chatting with them in between meetings, but<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":335,"featured_media":9214,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[347,426,318],"tags":[],"coauthors":[486],"class_list":["post-9211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-faculty","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Screenshot-2024-03-09-at-4.38.21\u202fPM-e1710020805796.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/335"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9211"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9211\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9219,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9211\/revisions\/9219"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9211"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=9211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}