Heart Matters: Admissions as a Bridge for Neurodivergent Families with Catalina Gardescu

The admissions journey for neurodivergent applicants and their families can often feel like a barrier. In this crucial episode, we are joined by Catalina Gardescu, a values-driven consultant with over 20 years of experience in international education, who guides us on transforming this sensitive process. This conversation previews her course, Heart Matters, designed for admissions officers and school leaders. Catalina stresses the need for a human-centered approach rooted in empathy and clarity to replace policy-driven fear. Learn how to build genuine trust and make your admissions office a supportive, inclusive entry point for every family.
💬 Quotes from the Episode:

• "We're not talking about admitting the student. We're talking about admitting the family. That is a huge, huge shift in mindset because you're admitting a relationship, you're not admitting a paper trail." 🤝

• "You cannot be human-centered and policy-centered at the same time. If you are policy-centered, you're creating a barrier, you're creating a filter, you're making people feel judged." ⚖️

• "It is about the courage to say no with integrity and with honesty and with clarity, which is far more empathetic than keeping them going along for the ride because you are afraid of what they're going to say." 🧭

• "Every single conversation you have with a prospective family or a prospective student is an opportunity to build trust or to break it... and that is the only currency that matters." 💔

📌 Key Insights:

• Admissions is a Relationship: The process must be viewed as establishing a relationship with the entire family, requiring genuine commitment and care, not just a procedural checklist for the student.

• The Policy/Human Conflict: School leaders must acknowledge that strictly adhering to rigid policy often conflicts with being genuinely human-centered; the process needs to be redesigned with empathy at its core.

• Clarity Equals Trust: Admissions teams build trust through radical honesty and clarity, minimizing the family's deep-seated fear of rejection and judgment by being transparent about the school's capacity and resources.

• Redefining "Fit" as Alignment: The goal should shift from assessing "fit" to establishing alignment—that the family's expectations for support genuinely match the school's mission and resources.

🛑 Conclusion:

Catalina Gardescu offers an essential framework for transforming the admissions experience into one of partnership and inclusion. Ready to let the Heart Matter in your admissions office? Find registration details for the full course, Heart Matters: Supporting Neurodivergent Applicants through Admissions, and check for Catalina's updates on LinkedIn! Go lead with care and empathy! 🌟➡️