When Zach Whitney ’21 began working in Lafayette College’s admissions office as a student tour guide, he never imagined college admissions would become his career.

“There’s no major in college admissions,” Whitney said. “Usually, you fall into it.”

He’s not the only one. Today, Whitney is one of seven Lafayette alums working in the Office of Admissions. Here’s a peek into what drew them back to getting future students to their alma mater.

“You get a lot of different skills from the world of admissions,” he continued. “We do a lot of different communication and writing and project building.”

After graduating, Whitney spent three years working in admissions at Muhlenberg College because Lafayette didn’t have any openings at the time. Since returning to Lafayette, Whitney said he’s seen alums in admissions departments “across the board.”

“A lot of it comes back to the love of the school,” Whitney said. “I love this place. It just has a feeling of home.”

Grace Marchena Bechtel ‘15, the associate director of enrollment communications, was a tour guide and a senior interviewer during her time as a student. She joined the Office of Admissions the September after her graduation.

“I feel like I’m able to tell students about the experiences that they’ll be able to have very authentically because I lived it,” Marchena Bechtel said.

Like Whitney, she said she’s passionate about the work.

“I remember not having a ton of help going through that process myself in high school and really appreciating the people in the Lafayette admissions office,” she said. “They were kind of the reason I ended up here and why I felt like I had such a successful college experience myself.”

Marchena Bechtel added that her first few years in the department were the most difficult because she had to learn to separate her student experience from her new professional role.

“I’m different, I’m in a different role, and so the college is a little bit different to me as well,” she said, emphasizing how she tries to treat the campus as “a professional workplace” while still holding onto the joy of her college years.

Admissions counselor Téo Rodriguez ‘24 had a different experience adjusting to his new role, one he applied for at the recommendation of Vice President for Inclusion Ernest Jeffries.

“I feel like it’s the easiest transition to make because you already spend a lot of your time on campus,” Rodriguez said of working at his alma mater.

Rodriguez said he still has many friends enrolled at Lafayette and that he enjoys talking to younger generations.

“It definitely is a benefit to have admissions counselors that are alums because alums already know how the school works,” he said.

In his work, Rodriguez helps manage Prologue, an event for selected admitted students. He started managing Prologue while still a student and even performed at Prologue as part of R&B and hip hop student band Sold Out Six.

“When you’re hiring somebody that isn’t an alum, you basically have to teach the person Lafayette from the ground up,” Rodriguez said, encouraging current students to stop by the office and “come say hi.”

Disclaimer: Editor-in-Chief Isabella Gaglione ’25, Design Director Jen Parsons ’26, News Editor Andreas Pelekis ’26, Culture Editor Natalia Ferruggia ’26 and Assistant Sports Editor Benjamin White ’27 are employees of the Office of Admissions. They did not contribute writing or reporting.