Joyce Luy has joined the Providence Hall team as director of admissions.
Luy recently retired from Westmont College, where she was dean of admissions. Her experience includes nearly 30 years in admissions work at Westmont.
Before Westmont, Luy also worked at Cate School. In June of this year, she received the National Association of Christian College Admissions Professionals Lifetime Achievement Award. She is the first woman to receive this award and just the fifth such honoree in the organization’s 41-year history.
Luy said she chose to work for Providence Hall after 30 years at Westmont because she “wants to make the Santa Barbara community aware of this hidden jewel.”
Providence Hall is a Christian, college preparatory school serving grades seven through 12. The school was founded in 2007 and enrolls 90 students. The goal is to grow to 200 to 250 students.
After years of seeing the other end of the admissions process — high school students entering college — Luy is keenly aware that students who are not prepared for college-level work often struggle in their first college semester. Some even drop out.
She has admitted more than a dozen Providence Hall graduates to Westmont and has observed that they are prepared for success in college, which leads to continued success in graduate school and in the challenging job market. She has also observed that Providence Hall graduates have learned “what it is to be a Christian in today’s world and to appreciate the value of a strong and competitive academic program.”
Since beginning her tenure at Providence Hall earlier this month, Luy finds the work very similar to college admissions.
“The process is the same, but the demographics are slightly different,” she said. “Value is placed on student success; parental involvement is huge; and I use the same hands-on, high-touch approach.”
To meet Luy and to learn more about Providence Hall, call the school office at 805.962.4400. Luy will host an open house at the school, 630 E. Canon Perdido St., from 2 to 4:15 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20.
— Elaine Rottman is the director of advancement for Providence Hall.