For the past several years, I’ve written a blog post about gratitude in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. Grateful every day for a career that lets me work with motivated students, caring families, and warm, supportive admissions professionals, I wanted to reflect on gratitude more personally this year. I’ve been inspired by a recent New York Times piece by Melissa Kirsch, who argues that tracing any small thing we’re grateful for back through the long chain of people, choices, and circumstances that made it possible deepens our appreciation and reminds us of our interconnectedness.
PIE FOR DINNER: A LOVE STORY
I asked my colleagues to reflect on their own “circuits of gratitude.” TTA Co-Founder Mimi Doe shared how her husband of 41 years recently undertook a rare baking project: making a gluten-free pie as a trial run for their grandkids’ upcoming visit. The pie was delicious (so good that they ate it for dinner), but what touched her most was the care behind it, the memories it stirred of his mother’s apple pies made with Cortland apples from their family orchard, and the joy she and her husband still find together in the simplest things, like eating pie for dinner.
CONNECTIONS IN A COFFEE CUP
TTA CEO, Dr. Liz Doe Stone, found her gratitude sparked by a morning mug of coffee. Holding an old Lou’s diner mug from her Dartmouth days, she traced the chain of connections behind it: the roommate she shared Lou’s breakfasts with, the mutual friend who introduced them, the art history class where she met that friend, the high school teacher who nurtured her interest in art history, and the parents who encouraged her to choose a school that would stretch her. A simple mug became a reminder of the mentors, friendships, and good fortune teeming within an everyday morning ritual.
A LANDSCAPE OF BELONGING
Senior Private Counselor Kylie Dowling experienced a similar chain reaction while looking at recent fall family photos taken near her home, her daughters and husband framed by boulders alongside a bubbling stream. She thought back to a conversation with a friend who asked where she felt most at peace, a question that led her to realize she belonged in nature, an instinct rooted in childhood summers spent in Vermont at the camp where her parents worked, one which ultimately led her to raise her daughters in a place where they, too, could access the wonders of nature.
TRACE THE THREADS OF YOUR GRATITUDE
This Thanksgiving, I’d encourage students to pause and trace one small joy—your favorite study spot, a class you love, a mentor who nudged you forward—back through the people and moments that made it possible. In a process that often feels competitive and full of pressure, remembering our interconnectedness can ground us— and remind us that we don’t get anywhere alone.
Anita holds a BA in Philosophy from Princeton, where she is an alumni class officer and former interviewer, and an MA in English from Middlebury. At Princeton she also contributed her drive and competitiveness to the women’s lacrosse team, winning an NCAA Division I National Championship and three Ivy League Championships while earning national scholar-athlete academic distinction and the Connie McAllister athletic department award for “effort, selfless dedication, enthusiasm and heart.” She brings these qualities to her relationships with students as she helps to bring out the best in them.
- When “Maybe” Is the Answer: Navigating the Gray Zone of College Athletic Recruiting - April 9, 2026
- A Smart College Application Roadmap for High School Juniors - January 14, 2026
- Tracing the Threads of Gratitude - November 24, 2025
