By Naomi Tsuang
Staff Writer
The Manhattan Beach Education Foundation hosted New York Times bestselling author Frank Bruni on March 19 in the Mira Costa auditorium where he spoke about his book, “Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be,” which gives students and parents insight into the college application process and a solution to the anxiety it provokes.
Bruni’s book focuses on stories of people who did not attend the most exclusive colleges, but still became highly successful, according to Bruni. Bruni additionally demonstrated how to make the most of one’s time at college.
“I think and hope that parents and students will question whether they place too much importance on constructing high school resumes and gaming the system with [a] sole goal of getting into a school with a low acceptance rate,” Bruni said.
According to Bruni, he was inspired to write “Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be” when he experienced his nieces’, nephews’ and friends’ children’s frustration with college admissions. Their level of hysteria went far beyond the possible benefit of an elite school.
“I wanted to provide a reality check for a generation of kids who are being ill-served by that hysteria,” Bruni said. “I wanted to present them with an argument and instructions for a better way to think about and then navigate through college.”
In order to connect with Bruni for his Costa speaking opportunity, local bookseller Hildy Stern and MBEF worked with Creating Conversations, a partner of Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore, which has a long-standing relationship with Bruni’s publisher, Grand Central Publishing. Mystery Galaxy Bookstore helps bring authors and speakers to businesses and organizations in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties.
“We felt that this is a topic that is very relevant for our community,” MBEF Executive Director Farnaz Golshani Flechner said. “It is clear that stress levels for our high school students are continuing to rise, and the pressure to get into a top ranked school is a big part of this. I think this conversation [encouraged] families to seek out the colleges that are the best matches for their students’ strengths.”
Bruni has been an opinion editorial columnist for The New York Times since 2011, focusing on a wide range of areas, including higher education. He has also been the paper’s chief restaurant critic, its Rome bureau chief, a White House correspondent, the lead reporter covering George W. Bush’s 2000 presidential campaign, and a staff writer for the The New York Times Sunday Magazine. Bruni is the author of two best-selling books, “Born Round” and “Ambling into History.”
“I like it when I get a sign that I’ve made people feel a bit calmer and happier about what should be a magical experience, and is inherently a blessing: going to college,” Bruni said. “Perhaps [students will] redirect their energy where it belongs: on getting the most out of high school and then college by responding genuinely to what interests [them] and becoming fully engaged in that.”
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