At 8:30 a.m., dozens of juniors and seniors sit with their fingers hovering over their keyboards; eyes locked on the college guidance meeting slots. This is the weekly scramble for a slot in the Webb College Guidance office, a process so competitive that Hector Martinez, Dean of College Guidance, can only describe it through a pop-culture lens. 

“It is sort of like Taylor Swift tickets,” Mr. Martinez said. “The meeting slots go out to the students one week and then they fill up within five minutes. Then the next group of kids have to wait another week to see us because the first week is booked solid in the first five minutes.” 

While students experience the front-end rush for appointments, the true “behind the scenes” work of Mr. Martinez involves a relentless travel schedule designed to put Webb students on the radar of elite institutions. He acts as an advocate, traveling globally to meet face-to-face with the gatekeepers of higher education. 

“I’m able to meet with any college because Dr. Smith knows this is super important,” Mr. Martinez said. “If I wanted to go visit Yale University tomorrow, because I just think it’s important for me to be there in person and have lunch with the dean of admissions to tell him how great Webb is, Webb would pay for that.” 

These trips are not just for show; they are strategic networking missions. Mr. Martinez leverages his nearly 40 years of experience building personal bridges that bring the colleges to Claremont. By pitching Webbies to admission counselors in their own offices, he secures the relationships necessary to fly those same representatives out to the Webb campus for workshops and student interviews. 

“We can invite any colleges we want to invite to campus,” Mr. Martinez said. “[And] we can be part of very expensive programs like the junior class case studies program that’s hosted in Pasadena. I feel really grateful that I have those things.” 

This advocacy is managed by a lean team of two counselors: Hector Martinez, Dean of College Guidance, and Rhemi Abrams-Fuller, Associate Dean of College Guidance. While the deans navigate the strategic side of admissions, the front lines of the digital rush are managed by Adriana Flores, Senior College Guidance Associate. Mrs. Flores focuses strictly on the mechanics of the office, handling the complex logistics of scheduling so the deans can focus on student advocacy. 

“My goal is to keep the gears turning behind the scenes,” Mrs. Flores said. “I handle the logistics and the rush for meeting slots so that the counselors can give their full attention to the students and their futures.” 

While the office is physically a small cottage on the edge of campus, its digital footprint is massive. Mrs. Flores ensures that the department’s limited physical space never limits its operational reach. 

Dr. Theresa Smith, Head of Schools, explains that much of the college counseling is invisible to the students themselves, involving deep collaboration between departments. 

“Our college guidance office works in collaboration with other teams on campus,” Dr. Smith said. “When I was in the academic role, I would meet with Mr. Martinez’s office and we would look at every student’s schedule to make sure they were on track.” 

For Ms. Abrams-Fuller, the “behind the scenes” often involves specialized tracking that students never see on their day-to-day. 

“A significant part of my ‘behind the scenes’ is navigating the NCAA eligibility center and the specific timelines for recruited athletes,” Mrs. Abrams-Fuller said. “It’s a different set of rules and a much faster clock. Whether I’m talking to coaches or helping a student-athlete understand their recruitment status, the goal is always to make sure they aren’t just a great player, but a great ‘fit’ for the school they choose.” 

The pressure of the hidden workload and the difficulty of securing a seat in the office is felt most by the seniors. Jayden Aleman (‘26) noted that the accessibility of the staff is the only thing that keeps the process moving when the physical schedule is full. 

“You don’t realize how much they are doing until you see them at a workshop in the evening or answering an email during fall break,” Jayden said. “Even though there are only two of them, they make it feel like they are always there when the submission portals get glitchy.” 

Mr. Martinez has been advocating for a third counselor every year to help manage the growing complexity of the process. In the past, he had managed 90 seniors alone, but the modern era requires more hands as the average number of applications per student has doubled. 

“The process wasn’t as complicated and it didn’t require so many submissions of so many applications,” Mr. Martinez said. “Now, 15 is typical and there are lots of kids who apply to up to 20 [schools].” 

The lack of a third person means the current staff must work faster and longer to ensure that every Ticketmaster-style rush ends with a satisfied student. While peer schools like Cate or Thacher have lower ratios, Webb relies on the efficiency of its small team. 

“If we had an extra person, that weight would be a little less,” Mr. Martinez said. “Ms. Abrams-Fuller and I would have a personal life, and we wouldn’t be juggling everything all the time.” 

Ultimately, behind every “unavailable” sign is a complex system of advocacy and hard work that keeps the community moving forward. The office may be small, but the counselors work tirelessly to polish every student’s profile so that colleges choose Webbies first. This success is not about the size of the staff, but about the constant effort to make sure every student feels supported despite limited resources. When the next Monday morning scramble begins, students are reminded that their future does not just depend on a GPA, because they still have to survive the Ticketmaster queue first.