Hot pink eyeglass frames peek out from behind her computer monitor. On a nearby shelf, teddy bears don shirts bearing various university logos—cherished gifts from former students. She’s pinned paper figurines onto corkboards; origami butterflies, dogs, and tigers beam at passersby. College Counseling Assistant Veronica Vela’s space is comforting, lived-in, jam-packed with years of keepsakes, but not cluttered. Never cluttered.

For Ms. Vela, an organized workspace serves as just one of many tried-and-true strategies to ensure she doesn’t miss a single document. As the fall semester wears on, seniors spend months working on college applications, with many early action and early decision deadlines on Nov. 1 and regular decision applications following closely in January. Behind every submitted application, Ms. Vela works relentlessly.

“I’m very proud to say that in my entire time being in this office, which is probably 15 years, [I’ve] never missed a deadline,” she said.

Ms. Vela takes on many responsibilities throughout the year: double-checking and sending transcripts to schools, working with counselors to polish their letters of recommendation, coordinating AP and PSAT exams, and liaising between the College Counseling Office and families. “She helps folks with logistics and supporting application materials until she’s blue in the face or has seen enough yellow forms to last a lifetime,” Assistant Director of College Counseling Alex Zotos said.

To keep up with the deluge of work, especially during the busy fall months, Ms. Vela has developed myriad foolproof systems. “I’m constantly writing notes to myself, just trying to keep reminders. There’s so many different scenarios that come up for students,” she said.

To her colleagues, she is an unsung hero, all-knowing being, president pro-tempore, and the glue to the CCO. Director of College Counseling Alexandra Fields said, “She’s spent so many years around the college process. She knows everything there is to know.”

Ms. Vela’s expertise extends beyond college applications, as she artfully coordinates AP testing in the spring. She plans with such precision that the worry of having to submit an irregularity report, documenting issues during test administration, keeps her up at night. Ms. Fields said, “That was her worst nightmare.”

However, her real talent isn’t just in methodical organization. Her true passion—and the quality that has made her a beloved figure in the Latin community—lies in supporting students. Assistant Director of College Counseling Devon Jones said, “The chair that’s in front of her desk is rarely open because if it’s not occupied by one of us, it’s probably occupied by a student.”

As they go through the college process, many students confide in Ms. Vela, using her as a sounding board for everything from Prom dresses to decision anxieties. Chloe Sedler ‘24 spoke to Ms. Vela’s unique ability to comfort students. “I could still go to her for the same parental advice without being asked questions about college or my job or just things that I didn’t feel like talking about,” Chloe said. “Every time someone would come and look for me, they would always check the College Counseling Office.”

Ms. Vela embraces the range of ways students look to her for guidance. “I’ve had students who sleep behind my desk on their free periods, and I have blankets, and I just want students to know they can come here for really just anything,” she said. “And if they just want to come and sit, and they just don’t want to talk—that’s fine, too.”

In one case, when a student’s parents’ divorce left them struggling through senior year, Ms. Vela jumped into action to provide support. “[I was] trying to encourage her and just let her know that she is loved and cared for, and people [at school] actually do look out for her,” Ms. Vela said. “She went through some really difficult times.”

Ms. Vela’s relationships stand out as particularly unique, given the older age of students with whom she works. Director of Enrollment Management & Financial Aid Eleannor Maajid said, “Twelfth graders don’t always open up to people, or they have their people that they connect with, but she is definitely one that is universal across so many different types of kids.”

Students hold on to these connections even past high school, a fact that one of Ms. Vela’s daughters, Allison Vela-Mendoza ‘08, can attest to in her relationships with former peers. “When I do see [classmates from high school], the first thing they ask me is, ‘How’s your mom?’” she said. “That’s quite literally one of the first questions.”

These relationships don’t stop at just students. According to another of Ms. Vela’s daughters, Anabel Mendoza ‘16, they’re all-encompassing. “She’s someone who, for the people she loves and cares about, will drop everything to be there for them,” she said.

Anabel has felt this attentiveness firsthand. For example, during her time at Latin, as she ran for Senior Prefect, her mother’s attentiveness and patience bolstered her. “There was a morning where, my mom and I, we ran through my speech together in the car ride to Latin,” she said. “Those were really cherished moments that I had in the car ride with her.”

Many faculty members also rely on Ms. Vela, not just as a colleague, but as a confidant. Ms. Jones said, “There’s a lot of things that I have gone to her for, [just] to talk, but also for advice, because she has a lot of knowledge and insight about some of the things that I have gone through or am going through.”

Senior Associate Director of College Counseling Jennifer Taylor has experienced this insight constantly during the 12 years she’s worked with Ms. Vela. In fact, it has become one of the distinguishing benefits of her job.

“Having a conversation with her is just like breathing to me,” Ms. Taylor said.

This relationship has carried Ms. Taylor through many life milestones, in and outside of the office. “When I got married, she was involved with helping me pick out my dress,” Ms. Taylor said. “She was a really good sort of perspective for me when I didn’t have a mother to turn to.”

In addition to her official job, Ms. Vela currently serves as a faculty advisor to the Latin American Student Organization, a role she began after a student—one of the many with whom she’s formed close bonds—reached out to her. “It would never occur to her to say no,” Ms. Fields said. “She just takes such immense pride in her work and puts in so much more than is necessary—than is asked or required of her—simply because she loves what she does.

Outside of her formal position, her work with LASO has expanded visibility to many constituents of Latin’s community. Upper School English Teacher and DEI Curriculum Coordinator Brandon Woods said, “I’ve gotten to know her as someone who is proud of her identity and wants to create spaces for students to be proud of their identity and to have community.”

However, Ms. Vela guides students toward their futures, so her job can make her beloved connections short-lived and lead to bittersweet goodbyes. Ms. Vela said, “By the time you really get to know me, and I get to know you, you’re already on your way out, which is a little sad.”

Nevertheless, Ms. Vela cherishes her role as a leader and comforting presence. Excited by the adventure of each new class, she brings a familiar face and unrelenting skill to the CCO.

“This is where I want to stay,” she said. “I can’t imagine leaving this position.”