Apperson Award

Mike Oligmueller has long been an advocate for students often underrepresented in the college process and has worked tirelessly on their behalf. Early in his professional career, his advocacy took shape as he became focused on the many challenges of international students and for those in the LGBTQ community. He was striving to ensure that their voices were heard, their needs met, and that they were well represented in the admissions process. As early as the mid-1990s, he was already facilitating sessions at NACAC conferences on topics that ranged from advising international students for college to “Out in the Application Process: Should it be Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?” to helping secondary school counselors better understand immigration issues. Later he broadened his focus to include volunteer work with KIPP – the Knowledge is Power Program – in the Washington, DC area working with eighth grade students to assist them with their applications to high school while he was also providing professional advice to schools hoping to establish a strong college advising program to better serve their students.

Mike began his illustrious career in the college counseling profession on the college side of the desk when he joined the admissions office at Wabash College in Indiana. After filling several roles in college admission, culminating in serving as Dean of Admission at Earlham College, he made a move to Charlotte, NC and to the high school side where he spent several years as a college counselor. Fortunately, for PCACAC, in the fall of 2002, he journeyed north to become the Director of College Counseling at the Connelly School of the Holy Child. For the next 15 years, we were privileged to have him in our region as a leader and role model for our affiliate.

Long an active member of PCACAC, Mike became actively engaged in the association as a member and then later as co-chair of the Human Relations Committee where he once again worked to empower those who serve the underserved in our region. After his service to Human Relations, he brought his many and varied talents to our leadership - first serving two terms as Treasurer where he made a meaningful impact on the fiscal health of our association and then as Secretary of PCACAC. It only seemed a natural progression for our recipient to move into the presidential cycle where he led our association admirably.

Last year PCACAC said goodbye to Mike when he once more journeyed south to assume the role of Director or College Counseling at the NSU University School in Fort Lauderdale, FL. This year, we were happy to welcome him back if only for a short time to honor him as the recipient of the Apperson Award.