Poole Staff Spotlight: Meet Jay Arrington
By Caroline Barnhill
Jay Arrington serves the Poole Pack as the director of admissions and recruitment for Poole College’s Jenkins Master of Accounting program. In his role, Arrington works with the college’s student population and aims to be a resource to help them achieve their goals of earning a master’s degree and a new career. In his words, Arrington “helps students and prospective students through the entire process – from curiosity to scholarship and all the way to becoming a graduate.” He also has the unique opportunity to visit other universities and organizations that support MAC students and potential prospective students.
And he brings with him a wealth of experience. Arrington has worked in admissions, recruitment and talent acquisition for nearly 15 years. Prior to that, he worked as a counselor and vice principal at a charter school.
Q&A with Jay Arrington
What is a project in your current role that you are particularly proud of?
We attract students from 50+ universities and many students need help and support. It makes me proud that we don’t just stop helping students at acceptance but, rather, we put things in place to support the students through initiatives such as our mentoring program and our transitional support program, which help students excel to be the scholars and leaders we know they are.
What’s the most memorable Poole College event you have attended?
I have two. The first is the annual MAC Celebration, which is oftentimes held at Vaughn Towers. There we bring back alumni and friends of the program, along with our current students, to network and connect. It’s incredible seeing the new students recognize all the possibilities available to them. My other favorite is graduation. Watching so many proud families and happy students is one of the greatest feelings in the world. The exuberance you feel in PNC Arena is electric and it makes everything worth it.
Why do you love being a part of Poole?
I love Poole because they listen to you and want to help however they can. There are some incredible people here that are truly dedicated to helping the students in any way they can. I can say that it goes beyond just being a job for most of us and it is a real passion to make a difference.
Tell us more about your life outside of Poole College.
Outside of work, I am a proud dad who loves every minute I get to spend being their dad. I truly appreciate the arts and nature. I also enjoy things like photography, painting, home design, cooking and music. I also spend a good chunk of my time in nature and the beach.
My Poole colleagues might not know…
I have a black belt in taekwondo and I have more than 200 cousins.
