During the coming semester, the Benjamin Community will be welcoming a new member to the College Counseling Department: Mr. Juan Alvarez.

Mr. Alvarez, who was born in Medellin, Colombia and grew up in Rhode Island, will work part-time during the second semester before he transitions to a full-time employee in the 2021-22 school year. 

Joining Benjamin after 25 years at the University of Miami (UM), Mr. Alvarez most recently served as their Senior Associate Director of Admission. While at UM, Mr. Alvez oversaw the application review process and was part of the team that increased annual admissions from 11,000 to over 40,000. Before UM, he also worked at Alfred University and Bryant University, which is his alma mater. 

With Mr. Alvarez’s experience in recruitment and international admission, Head of College Counseling Ms. Anna Wright is excited to welcome him to the department. 

“He has a vast network of friends and colleagues, along with his own invaluable knowledge, which will undoubtedly help us advise and guide our students through the ever-changing admissions process,” Ms. Wright said. “More importantly, along with being an expert in this field, Mr. Alvarez is one of the kindest and funniest people I know. Families and students are going to love working with him. He is going to be a huge asset to our program and we cannot wait to have him join us.”

Mr. Alvarez is replacing Mr. Darang, who departed at the end of the 2019-20 school year. This past semester, Mr. Fletcher Carr has been filling in as the third college counselor in addition to his regular duties as the Head of Upper School.