• Admission counselor Casey Decker LaBar
Undergraduate Admission

Meet Your Counselor: Casey Decker LaBar

» Casey Decker LaBar

Senior Associate Director of Admission

caseyl@chapman.edu

 

Casey's bio

Casey graduated from Chapman in 2004 with a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance. Upon graduation, she decided to further develop her love of music-theater at the New England Conservatory of Music, where she earned a Master of Music in Opera and Vocal Performance. While actively pursuing and seeking out new performance opportunities, she discovered her desire to support and invest in the talent and gifts of young students. As a Chapman student, she was heavily involved in the School of Music — including domestic and international touring and Opera Chapman — and loved working as an admission intern for three years. She is excited to be back at Chapman University and is looking forward to supporting the next generation of students and artists at Chapman.

Advice from Casey

The next few months will seem incredibly overwhelming. Between touring campuses, filling out multiple college applications and maintaining an active social life, it’s difficult to also balance your last year of high school! Remember to relax, breathe and enjoy time with family and friends; there’s nothing a good laugh with great company can’t cure!

Favorite spot on campus:

There are several spots on campus I enjoy, but I love the spaces where our students can connect outside of the classroom. Whether it’s working out together in our new Fitness Center, attending study sessions in our Student Union or having lunch in the Attallah Piazza, it’s always refreshing seeing them connect while developing lifelong friendships.

Best admission memory

As an admission intern, I loved talking to prospective students and parents about my Chapman experience. It was so rewarding the first week of my junior year when a new freshman found me on campus and told me he had been on my tour the year earlier. Hearing about our programs, community and experience from a student perspective sparked his desire to be here and to be involved on our campus. To this day, we still keep in touch!

Best Chapman memory

Some of my best memories stem from my involvement in the School of Music. Whether it was traveling domestically or internationally with the Choir, participating in American Celebration, collaborating with faculty or performing with Opera Chapman, the opportunity to work with different types of performers and personalities made my time at Chapman extremely valuable. What’s the most fun for us now is to celebrate each other’s successes since our days at Chapman. Some of us are teaching, others are pursuing performance opportunities abroad and a few made it to Broadway! At the end of the day, we love reuniting and talking about our time at Chapman together.

Fast facts

Words to describe myself: Creative, curious, joyful.

Favorite subject: History.

Role model: My dad.

Favorite musical performer/band/composer: Lake Street Dive, The Black Keys, Kacey Musgrave, Maren Morris.

Most prized possession: TIME!

Book you would read again: The Giving Tree.

Favorite summer activity: BBQ and bike riding at the beach with friends.