Transferrable Skills

Students choose to come to Emerson for any number of reasons: the College offers the major they want to study; they love the urban environment; the community is a good fit for them; they met an alum who dazzled
them; they’ve had their heart set on Emerson for years; or maybe some or all of the above.

And for quite a few students—over many years—their decision to select Emerson can be traced back to one instrumental person: Lisa Yaeger.

As senior associate director of under graduate admission and director of transfer admission at Emerson, Yaeger not only guides students through the process of transferring to Emerson, but she also supports them once they’re here. That could mean helping them navigate their first Boston winter, or explaining confusing city parking rules, or opening her office to them when they just need to see a friendly face.

“I just love this cohort of students because of who they are, the stories they have to tell, and the impact they can bring to the school,” said Yaeger, who has worked in this role at Emerson since 2006. “They bring such
a wealth of perspectives and opinions, from all these varied life experiences, that are really important for our class discussions and for the Emerson community as a whole.”

While students can transfer to Emerson from any college or university, about 42% come to Emerson every year from community colleges. In fact, Yaeger and colleagues have worked to build a pipeline that makes it easier for students at community colleges, including first-generation college students, to transfer to Emerson. Emerson currently has articulation agreements with Bunker Hill Community College and Roxbury Community College, both in Boston, Miami Dade College (FL); and forthcoming agreements with Santa Monica College (CA) and Raritan Valley Community College (NJ).

When she’s not on the road for Emerson, Yaeger enjoys traveling for fun and has visited 46 US states. “It gives me a chance to meet new people from different cultures, try different foods, and learn new things, which I think is important to do at any age,” she said. At home, her happy place is “tending my perennial gardens” and she can often be seen walking her local town beach, collecting sea glass, which she has done for the last 40 years.

Yaeger began her career in college admissions before moving to marketing and sales in private banking. In 1982, she left banking to raise her three children, before returning to the admissions world.

At Emerson, Yaeger said she is grateful to work with a fantastic team, within a community that is supportive of her work. “We couldn’t have been as successful if we didn’t have the support of the entire Emerson community,” she said.

And, after 17 years at Emerson, she said she still loves what she does. “[My role] requires a lot of work, travel, and application reading,” Yaeger said, “but how many jobs allow you to have a hand in helping change the trajectory of students’ lives?”