Why Prep

July 10, 2025

A guest blog post from Director of College Counseling Pablo Torres

I didn’t expect to fall in love with Sandia Prep when I applied for this job. But here we are, one year later, and I can unequivocally say, “I love this school.” Growing up in a family that valued education over anything else, and then working most of my adult life in university admissions, I am a fan of independent schools. For a long time (mostly through my work in college admissions), I thought of Sandia Prep as a good school, but I wasn’t sure of specific reasons why. Intuitively, I knew that Sandia Prep offered its students a solid college preparatory education. But what exactly made Prep different from other schools? What makes it not just good, but great?

Soon after arriving at Prep last year as the new Director of College Counseling, I learned about the “5 A's” and I thought to myself, “surely, the 'A' for academics must be the most important of the five?” And yes, as a school, academics are paramount. However, I have since come to realize that the “A” for “atmosphere” is the foundation, the bedrock “A” upon which all the other “A’s” are able to grow out from and flourish. 

Prep’s school community has an incredibly unique and happy spirit. There is a positive energy here that I did not experience as a student at another independent school across town, nor is it something I encountered when I worked at yet another one of New Mexico’s independent schools located up north. This is not to say that those other schools are not good schools; in fact, they are fantastic schools. I believe most independent schools are excellent. Sandia Prep’s culture, however, is special. There is something lovely and kind in the air here. And this thing, this atmosphere, makes our students incredibly cool people. Sandia Prep is successful in cultivating a sense of freedom for each student to be their own unique self, to explore their own varied interests, and to do so with minimal judgment from peers (not that there is complete zero judgment, or peer-pressure here, these are teenagers after all). There is just a genuine sense of community infusing everything here that values the joy of learning and creates special days that feel almost like holidays, throughout the school year, to honor and celebrate this joyful way of learning.

Lion & Unicorn Day, Color Day, grade-level camps, Outdoor Leadership Program trips, student-led fundraisers for local nonprofits, etc. etc. I was surprised to learn that even the rather mundane task of having each class of students move from one assigned seating area to another at the end-of-year assembly is called “Bleacher Day” and it is another one of Prep’s school-wide celebrations with student-curated music playing through the loudspeakers. Frequently, I find myself thinking, “What a cool school!”  And indeed, it’s not just cool; it's magical.

Sandia Prep students are also serious about academics. They have a 100% college acceptance rate. I’m happy to report that I have met many bright, motivated, and high-achieving students at Prep. The difference is that students here are mostly self-driven and inwardly competitive. Overall, Prep students are not “cut-throat,” they don’t see their classmates as their academic competitors who must be crushed. They applaud each other for their unique, varied interests and talents. Lions help Unicorns, and Unicorns assist Lions. In Prep students, I feel a great sense of hope for the future. This is a place that inspires me to know that learning can be both serious and fun. This is not a zero-sum game. We can have fun even when learning is challenging. 

As the Director of College Counseling, I see my role as an “older learner” with a duty to point out potential bumps in the road ahead for our adolescent students. But I also have the awesome duty to point out opportunities. Each student is embarking on the college application journey for the first time. It is incredibly exciting, and it is my hope to assist them to find the fun in the process, rather than dwell on the anxiety-inducing challenges of taking the SAT or getting an admission denial letter (those things can’t always be avoided). Sandia Prep students have incredible opportunities available to them. In the Office of College Counseling, we are here to assist them to find confidence in forging their own, unique journeys ahead– and to do so in the joyful, “Prep way” that I’ve discovered exists at this school because of the “A” for “atmosphere.” 

Moving forward in Sandia Prep’s Office of College Counseling, we are working with an unofficial motto of “College Counseling from Day One,” with our office doors always open to meet with students 1:1 and with all Prep families to discuss their ideas and concerns regarding the college application process. We offer students raffle prizes at our college nights, we assist students to think through and plan projects, to build up their resumes and their self-esteem, and to become leaders. I am not here to squash any student’s college dream (I have a hard rule for myself to never tell students that they should not apply somewhere. Yes, even if it’s Harvard). Gatekeepers and naysayers are not allowed in this College Counseling Office. We are here to help inspire students to achieve their goals and practice using their voices. And to do so with the foundation of joy, like a propeller, under each of their endeavors. This is key, it is central, and it is serious. Finding the joy in learning is important to not just getting through, and graduating from Sandia Prep… but it is perhaps the most important preparation we can offer our students to live a good life, for the rest of their lives. We can be learners for the rest of our lives, and doing so should always bring us joy.

“With the zeal of a convert,” I love this school, and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity I have to be here each day in the company of the coolest students of any independent school in New Mexico. Go Sundevils! And Prep parents, join the College Counseling book club.