Renee Lurie, Int'l. Independent Educational Consultant

🍩🏔️ North Carolina, you were such a treat! 🇺🇸 I was lucky enough to be one of just 7 international school-based and independent counselors invited on the 2nd annual Mountains to Coast tour in NC!

🌄✈️ Alongside colleagues from England, Canada, Colombia, Africa, China, and the Bahamas—and reps from and —we explored a stellar lineup of universities across the state. 💥
We visited:
✔️ UNC Charlotte
✔️ High Point University
✔️ Wake Forest University
✔️ NC State University
✔️ Duke University
✔️ East Carolina University

📍From sipping Cheerwine 🍒 (North Carolina’s cherry soda!) to cheering on the High Point Rocker at their ⚾ game (they won big 12-2!)…🍦to eating legendary Howling Cow ice cream at and taking a very sweaty but hilarious Trolley Pub ride through downtown Raleigh 🚲…this trip was full of fun, flavor, and LOTS of insights.
What stood out?

🧠 Seriously strong STEM & design programs
🌳 Gorgeous, green campuses (so well-kept!)
🌤️ That sweet spot of four seasons—not too hot, not too cold
✈️ Direct flights home to Costa Rica from CLT
💰 And yep...still relatively affordable for international students!

If you’re dreaming of studying in the USA and want a blend of strong academics, friendly vibes, and great quality of life, NC should be on your radar! 💡🌍

Still in a bit of shock (the good kind!) after receiving a DM from my amazing LATAM IEC colleague, Jennie Kent, letting me know I’d received the Making A Difference award at the 2025 IECA Conference in Detroit! 🥹

So honored — and a little bummed I wasn’t there in person to celebrate. 🙃

Even more special to share this recognition with my brilliant Scotland Global Symposium partner, Sara Cavalieri — congrats, Sara! 💥👏 And a huge shoutout to all the other incredible award recipients. 🏆💪🏼

Since this is my first time being recognized by IECA in this way, I’m not exactly sure how the selection happens — but to whoever was involved in shining a light on our work, thank you. It means a lot to feel seen and appreciated in this global community. 🙏🏼🩵

https://www.instagram.com/p/DJo0rhXOrg5/?igsh=MXcza21lZDBvM2Vx

Happy Holidays one and all!

Look forward, put one foot before the other, repeat, and you’ll make it to wherever you are supposed to be.

My students’ accomplishments make me proud, but this is extra special. My husband and I spent the week before Christmas celebrating our eldest daughter’s graduation from Arizona State University, where she earned a BS in Speech and Hearing Sciences!

Ilana’s path to selecting her university degree wasn’t straightforward. Like many students today, there were ups and downs, pauses, and bursts of energy as she took twists and turns on her journey to where she is today.

↪️ She changed career fields after a year of self-discovery, adulting, strengthening executive functioning skills, managing public transportation, navigating a boyfriend relationship, and living at home while studying at a public university in Costa Rica.

↩️ She then enrolled in a private university, and after the first semester, she knew that field wasn’t for her.

↪️ She did a 180 and decided she was ready to live in the States for the first time. She revisited and investigated Speech-language pathology—a field her school-college counselor had previously recommended (me!).

⤴️ In 2020, she enrolled in online courses for a semester that would transfer to a community college in Arizona.

↩️ In ‘20-’21, she moved to Arizona to live with her extended family, earned an Arizona license, found a good job, and became an Arizona resident, which granted her in-state tuition status while she took community college courses. Having earned an AAS degree as a Speech Language Pathology Assistant, she ultimately decided a BS degree was what she wanted.

⤴️ After 9 months, she moved into an apartment with a roommate and enrolled in ASU’s pathway program to earn a BS in Speech and Hearing Sciences and is now applying to master’s programs to become a bilingual SLP.

While Ilana’s flight is unique, it is not unusual. It is just one example of how the path to higher education and career is no longer the direct path it may have once been for my generation and those before me. She’s taken the first steps into a career that fits her incredibly well, but as most of us know, careers evolve, and no doubt hers will too.
*Shared with her consent.
➡️

It’s November 14th, and it dawned on me yesterday that it’s been four months since the International ACAC annual conference, hosted by Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. I have yet to say THANK YOU.

July passed by in a blur for me as my father passed away on June 23, a week before I had to travel to Canada. Finding a flight out the next day to be with my mom and sisters in Arizona was a mad dash. I briefly considered not attending IACAC and forfeiting my spot on the counselor bus tour afterward. Still, I knew my dad and my mom, lifelong educators, would not have wanted me to. They know how important it is for me to stay current in my field of international education and that visiting universities is not an easy nor inexpensive task traveling from my home, Costa Rica.

It’s interesting how the conference actually helped me process losing my father unexpectedly by forcing me to clear the fog and focus on learning to soak up as much as possible to later share with my LATAM & Caribbean colleagues and students looking at Canada as a viable option for their undergraduate studies. It was heartwarming to reminisce with colleagues who entered this profession around the same time as me and to see how our beliefs and attitudes have adjusted or completely changed over the past 12 years. This reflection inspired me to ponder how I can continue to evolve in the years to come. And, while I know I was not my usual energetic self, I’m grateful for my colleagues and friends who could relate to my heartache and checked in to see how I was coping.

The Caribbean and LATAM region had strong representation, with 27 counselors representing eight countries. I was proud to represent Costa Rica as an independent counselor and professional member of IECA (Independent Educational Consultants Association), along with five of my school-based college counselor colleagues from local institutions.

Yesterday was my dad’s heavenly 81st birthday (I love that phrase, Rox). I know he would have loved to hear about the session topics and what I thought of each of the 13 universities I toured afterward, so I dedicate this post and the following about the tour to you, Dad. I miss you.