TJ on the National Stage: Navigating AI in College Admissions

Director of College Counseling, Eric Steere, and Director of Admissions, Alexis Boyer-Meyerman, will present alongside Zach Evans, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of Chicago, in a featured session titled “Navigating AI in the Modern Application Process.” The conference draws independent educational consultants from across the country who advise students on both secondary and higher-education enrollment, making it a key space for shaping best practices in the field.

TJ’s inclusion on this panel reflects our growing reputation as a thought leader in college counseling—especially as artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes how students search for colleges, craft applications, and tell their stories. The session will offer a grounded, practical look at what’s changing and how educators can prepare students to use new tools thoughtfully while staying true to their own voices.

The panel brings together three distinct perspectives: a former university leader with deep insight into AI trends, a boarding-school counselor working closely with high-ability learners, and an admissions representative from a highly selective university. Together, they’ll explore how to help students build authentic, compelling applications in a changing landscape.

For TJ students, this work is already close to home. This fall, Zach Evans visited campus to lead an essay-writing workshop with seniors, where students evaluated real University of Chicago application essays and talked candidly about voice, originality, and reflection—skills that matter even more in the age of AI.

Eric Steere’s national presence has been instrumental in building TJ’s profile. He regularly presents at conferences including NACAC, MOACAC, and International ACAC, and he serves on the executive board of MOACAC as International Initiatives Chair. Through these roles, he has helped put TJ on the map in a crowded secondary-school landscape. As Eric puts it, “Even in a very crowded secondary-school space, we are so different. I love representing TJ and how we support high-ability learners to do really reflective work.”

We’re proud to see TJ contributing to these important conversations—and helping to shape the future of college admissions for our students.