Mr. Kelly Farland has served as a counselor at Loyola since 2012, after working 10 years at St. Mary’s Academy in Inglewood. Originally a New England native, Mr. Farland moved to California after years of traveling on the search for a suitable career path.
Mr. Farland holds an undergraduate degree in broadcasting journalism from Arizona State University (ASU) and a master’s in counseling from the University of San Diego (USD). Raised in the proximity of Dartmouth College, across the river from Hanover, New Hampshire, Mr. Farland was surrounded by a small community with “four seasons and a foundation in faith.”
Mr. Farland said his family and youth experiences “absolutely shaped the person I am today.” His parents were active in the New England Jewish community, especially at Dartmouth, although neither went to college.
“As soon as I could, I left the Hanover area, because it was freezing cold, and went to ASU,” Mr. Farland said. “It was, quite literally and figuratively, a 180 degree difference.”
It was at ASU that Mr. Farland realized his skills for “working with people” as he was asked by ASU to help register students for courses across the country.
“I was a broadcasting major as an undergrad and had an internship while I was an undergrad at Channel 12 in Phoenix.” Despite the internship, Mr. Farland said he was uninterested in pursuing journalism further, and, after a two year stint as a retail manager at a Macy’s in northern California, he traveled to Europe for three months.
“I lived out of my backpack for three months, spent all my money, had a fantastic time, and read a book called “What Color is Your Parachute?” by Richard Bolles––a book anyone who is looking for himself should read,” he said.
After returning to the United States, Mr. Farland said he “by luck” landed a job at USD, which began a formal career in college admissions. While there, Mr. Farland was recognized as the Parent Association’s Award of Excellence.
“I was recognized for embodying the spirit of USD, which I thought was really cool, because I was helping students feel connected to USD,” he said. “I’m actually quite proud of that, even though I’m not into accolades.”
Mr. Farland worked in college admissions for almost 15 years, spending time at USD, Marymount College and Mount Saint Mary’s University before becoming a college counselor.
Mr. Farland served as the college counselor and dean for St. Mary’s Academy, an all-girls school before moving to Loyola.
Currently, Mr. Farland’s responsibilities at Loyola outside of college counseling include coaching the JV tennis team, moderating the Hillel Club, and participating in Campus Ministry events.
“I feel really fortunate to be associated with tennis. Coach Held runs a great tennis program and we have great guys. I look forward to this season,” he said.
Outside of his job at Loyola, Mr. Farland enjoys spending time with his wife of nearly 20 years and his two high school children, one of which is a freshman at Loyola.
“I enjoy engaging with Loyola students outside of the job as often as I can,” he said. “I love being a part of other people’s lives.”
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