In the fall of 2017, Co-Director of College Guidance Sonia Arora left for maternity leave. Instead of returning to Archer in February as planned, Arora will be moving to Colorado with her family.

On Jan. 18, the College Guidance Department announced via email that Sonali Bridges, Arora’s maternity substitute, will be staying at Archer through the end of the current school year as interim Co-Director of College Guidance.

“We know many of you have developed a strong relationship with Ms. Bridges and we trust that you share our excitement with this news,” Upper School Director Gretchen Warner wrote in the email.

Bridges is the former Director of Admissions at Mount Saint Mary’s University, where she founded a Women’s Leadership program and former Dean of Students at Santa Monica College. Immediately prior to coming to Archer, Bridges worked at UCLA in the Enrollment Management area helping to build pipelines to underserved, local communities. Bridges also served as a consultant to the Magnolia Public School District where she created a college counseling curriculum for underrepresented students in greater Los Angeles.

Archer is currently launching a nationwide search for the next college guidance team member.

“I want to assure you that your daughters will continue to receive excellent guidance and thoughtful attention throughout their college process so she ultimately matriculates to a school that is worthy of her achievements and aspirations,” Warner wrote.

Correction  (Jan. 21, 8:08 pm): The original version of this article included misinformation about the title of Sonali Bridges. The article previously stated that Bridges was appointed the interim Associate Director of College Guidance. It has been corrected to say interim Co-Director of College Guidance.