Helping students and families worldwide navigate the college admissions process
"Don't be trapped by dogma- which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And, most important, have the courage to follow your own heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become."
-Steve Jobs
"If you do what you love, it is the best way to relax."
-Christian Louboutin
A Few Words About Me
I am a former admissions officer, corporate lawyer, high school teacher, and field archaeologist. All this means I bring a wealth of experiences and perspectives to my work as an independent educational advisor.
I was raised in the Big Ten college town of Champaign-Urbana Illinois, where my father was a law professor at the University of Illinois. I graduated summa cum laude/Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard College and received graduate degrees in archaeology from the University of London and UCLA. I was an All American swimmer and a varsity athlete for four years in college, and I rowed competitively in graduate school. Ultimately, I attended Harvard Law School, working for a number of years as an international transactional lawyer at a large New York firm.
Between degrees, I worked for six years as a high school history teacher and Anthropology Department T.A./freshman writing instructor at UCLA. During that time, I also served as Co-Chair of the Harvard Schools Committee of Southern California. While in law school, I worked as an on-campus interviewer at the Harvard College Admissions Office. Just prior to starting my own educational consulting firm, I was an admissions officer at Fay School in Southborough, MA and coached FLL robotics.
Over the years, I have gained a lot of professional and personal experience with how students of all stripes can best present their various strengths and interests, and prepare themselves to thrive in college and as young adults. There is no single recipe for success in college admissions or in life. This is what makes college advising and going to college so rewarding. I work hard to convey this message to my students.
I live in Wellesley, MA with my husband, a law professor at Boston College. I have three children; they attend or have graduated from the College of William & Mary in Virginia, the USC School of Cinematic Arts, and UVA. In addition to my educational advising business, I am a licensed realtor and love to travel, read widely, cook, and SCUBA dive. I've spent a good deal of time living and working abroad in Latin America and Europe.
I am an active member in good standing in the I.E.C.A. (The Independent Educational Consultants Association).