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The
Davidson Academy of Nevada
Colleen
Harsin
Director
As director of The Davidson Academy of Nevada, Colleen Harsin, M.A., MSW oversees the educational environment of a growing student body of profoundly gifted students, many who
have moved across the country to attend this free, public day school. Colleen works with the students, their parents, teachers and professors to optimally match educational options to each student's needs in order to challenge them to reach their full potential.
Colleen joined the Davidson Institute for Talent Development, the Academy’s umbrella organization, in 2000 to work with parents to develop individual action plans for young people enrolled in the Davidson Young Scholars program. As the number of Young Scholar families grew, so did Colleen’s duties at the institute.
She worked with Nancy Robinson, Ph.D., to develop the Institute’s first guidebook, “Considering the Options: A Guidebook for Investigating Early College Entrance.” Colleen also compiled “Advocating for Exceptionally Gifted Young People: A Guidebook.” Both of these guidebooks continue to serve as tools for parents to address the broader educational needs of exceptional students.
“Building relationships with families and education professionals across the country to solve problems and create better learning situations for gifted children is extremely rewarding,” said
Ms. Harsin. “I am able to help ensure that these children and their families have every possible opportunity to thrive.”
Through Colleen’s compassion and commitment to serve our nation’s brightest students, the Davidson Young Scholars enrollment skyrocketed. She transitioned into her role as director of The Davidson Academy in January 2007, shortly after the school opened.
Colleen received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Idaho where she graduated summa cum laude. She moved to Reno in 1995 to pursue
graduate studies in Psychology and Social Work, receiving master's
degrees in both disciplines. As a student in the University of Nevada, Reno, clinical psychology program, Colleen worked as a therapist at both the Counseling & Testing Center on campus and the Psychological Service Center. Colleen has been an author on two published chapters and presented at national conferences in the field of behavioral psychology.
“I have always been committed to trying to improve educational opportunities
for underrepresented, overlooked populations,” said
Ms. Harsin. “At The Davidson Academy we do have a one-of-a-kind,
break-the-mold curriculum. My hope is to have pieces of our model
utilized in other schools.”
Colleen has presented at the annual conference of the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), as well as various other national, regional and state conferences on gifted education. She was instrumental in the creation of the Davidson Institute’s Educators Guild, which works directly with teachers and other education professionals who are interested in
working effectively with
the gifted population.
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