I do this work because I want kids to have a safe space to explore their ambitions, an arena where they can dive into the things that excite and drive them and choose for themselves what they want to explore and pursue in their educational (and extracurricular) lives. I believe that empowering kids to set their own ambitious goals and make their own choices about what to pursue teaches them critical lessons about decision-making, prioritization, structure, and failure that will make them more independent, resilient, thoughtful, and engaged adults.
I do this work because students deserve a mentor who can help them find colleges where they’ll be able to pursue their passions to the fullest extent and who will help them make intentional choices throughout high school that are aligned with those ambitions.
I do this work because I believe that the essay writing process empowers students, because the best reward a student gets from developing a compelling, thoughtful college essay is a greater sense of purpose and a more integrated sense of self.
I can’t make the process stress-free — I don’t think anyone can — but I do this work because students deserve a space where they can be seen during the stressful moments, because they deserve someone who can remind them that no matter what college they enroll in, they will be okay.
At all times, who the student is should drive decisions about the colleges that student is applying to — not vice versa. I don’t engineer students to fit into schools; I listen and learn who a student is and find colleges for them where they will find joy and thrive.
We are all partners in this endeavor: the student, the parents, the school counselor, and me. I work collaboratively with all parties.
Student, parent, and I all take full ownership of our roles in this process: student as the client and driver of decisions, me as the educational consultant, and parent as the customer and support system. Our work is our own.
As a member of IECA, WACAC, and NACAC, I am committed to IECA’s Principles of Good Practice, which put the student’s best interest at the center of every decision I make.
As a counselor, I will always be clear about a student’s chances of admission at a selective college, given that student’s academic profile. This is in the student’s long-term best interest, but I know this can sometimes be hard to hear, and I always strive to have these challenging conversations as gently and thoughtfully as possible.
The most important thing selective colleges look at is getting great grades in the most rigorous courses your school offers. Beyond that? The best thing your child can do is dig deeply into the things that make them them.
There is no magic bullet, no single extracurricular, summer program, passion project, test score, essay, or leadership position that will make or break an application; selective admissions is holistic and informed by institutional priorities, which change every single year.
