I worked for Avalon in both admissions and leadership roles and ultimately left because the…read moreorganization's values no longer aligned with my own.
The most significant challenge was what I perceived as a disconnect between leadership expectations and the realities of campus operations. Admissions teams were often expected to meet aggressive enrollment goals while managing constantly shifting priorities, limited resources, and inconsistent communication. Much of my role involved translating unclear or reactive direction into something representatives could realistically execute.
In my experience, enrollment volume was prioritized more heavily than retention, student preparedness, and long-term student success. This created confusion around performance expectations and what outcomes were truly valued. I observed situations where high enrollment numbers appeared to receive greater recognition than efforts focused on retention, student readiness, and long-term outcomes.
I also observed inconsistencies in recognition, advancement opportunities, compensation practices, workload distribution, and communication that negatively impacted morale. Many talented employees worked extremely hard to support students and improve operations, but feedback and recommendations from frontline staff often seemed to go unaddressed despite recurring challenges.
Another concern was the culture within leadership. Rather than fostering collaboration, there were times when competition, poor communication, and uneven information sharing created unnecessary tension between teams and departments. This often resulted in employees acting as intermediaries rather than being empowered to work together directly and effectively.
I frequently felt that organizational decisions were driven more by enrollment growth and financial objectives than by educational outcomes, student preparedness, retention, or long-term student success. I also felt that the perspectives of employees with direct experience working with students and campus operations were not given sufficient consideration when key decisions were made.
I also experienced and observed workplace interactions that I perceived as insensitive and, at times, discriminatory. As a biracial woman, there were comments and situations that made me uncomfortable and caused me to question whether all employees were being treated with the same level of respect and professionalism. These experiences negatively impacted my sense of belonging within the organization.
Additionally, I had concerns regarding how employee complaints and sensitive matters were handled. In my experience, confidentiality was not always maintained in a manner that fostered trust, which made employees hesitant to raise concerns or provide honest feedback.
While I cannot speak to everyone's experience, I personally experienced interactions that I perceived as dismissive, demeaning, and unprofessional. Over time, this contributed significantly to my decision to leave.
I genuinely care about career education and the students these schools serve. There are many dedicated campus employees throughout the organization who work hard every day to support students and help them achieve their goals. However, I believe the company would benefit from placing greater emphasis on student outcomes, retention, employee development, transparency, accountability, and stronger alignment between leadership decisions and campus realities.
Pros: Dedicated coworkers, meaningful work with students, valuable admissions and leadership experience.
Cons: Heavy emphasis on enrollment metrics, inconsistent communication, frequent shifts in priorities, limited recognition of employee contributions, concerns regarding workplace culture and confidentiality, and a disconnect between leadership and day-to-day operations, main focus being securing the 20+ grand from students for tuiton and not actual education.
