MY SCHEDULE: My 'weekend' is usually Tuesday - Wednesday, but can vary based on my college visit/travel schedule. I typically am available only afternoons and evenings. Therefore I may not respond to messages received beginning Monday evening until Thursday.

I am an Independent College Consultant, run and own my own college consultanting organization, and on Outschool, I offer courses on college admissions, focusing on current trends and things students need to know to confidently apply to college in 2024. I walk alongside students, helping them stay organized, motivated, and accountable  through the application process.  Each year, I work with a limited number of students on Outschool, as time allows. These spots fill up in advance of the admissions season, so I always recommend interested parents enroll their teens for a session asap so they can meet me and decide if they'd like an available spot.

I have mentored, taught, and advised American and international high school and college students for 12 years in various settings, both in person and virtually, including as an advisor at a university as well as a volunteer for two different non-profit organizations helping students apply to and attend college. I love working with students of different nationalities and cultural backgrounds; there is something to be learned from everyone we meet, even those we may disagree with! I love helping high school students transition to college, especially those students who encounter challenges due to coming from a low-income, first generation, LGBTQ, and/or minority background. Making college financially feasible is extremely important to me. I love helping students succeed! Solid guidance and preparation go a long way for college students and professionals, and to this end, I completed my Independent Education Consultant (IEC) Certificate and am an Associate Member of IECA.

I know that building relationships with students is important in order to gain trust and effectively teach and advise; for this reason (and because I love the challenge of getting to know teens), I see my teaching style more as mentoring or coaching. Many students simply do better in one-on-one or small group environments. On Outschool, I strive to meet those students where they are.

My own educational experience, starting with the most recent, includes:
_ Several trainings through professional organizations in the field of college counseling
- Independent Education Consultant Certificate through UC Irvine 
- An MBA course and 3 undergraduate Spanish refresher courses at a medium-sized public institution in Tennessee
- An M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language at the largest private institution in Puerto Rico 
- A B.A. in Sociology with minors in English and Spanish from a small private liberal arts institution in Missouri
- A semester studying abroad at a public institution in Spain

My students have been accepted at Ivy League institutions, private liberal arts colleges, large (and small) public institutions, religious institutions, community colleges, and everything in-between.

Making decisions about college is never easy, and the decisions one makes say a lot about a person, so I'd like to share my two most significant decisions with you surrounding my own education.

My Best Decision: While going far away for college is not for everyone, for me, moving to Puerto Rico to attend graduate school was the best decision I ever made. I had never heard of the college before discovering it randomly in my dorm room, but the university turned out to be the best fit for me, and I thrived there. I saved a lot of money, made my resume stand out, immersed myself in another culture and language, and most importantly, built amazing relationships with the Puerto Rican people.

My Most Difficult Decision: I began college as a pre-physical therapy student, having been accepted at my college as a freshman along with guaranteed acceptance into their Doctorate of Physical Therapy program, a very competitive designation for freshman. The biggest leap of faith I took was deciding to let go of that guarantee at the end of my sophomore year and take my career in a completely different direction with so many unknowns after discovering a passion I didn't know I had while I was studying abroad in Spain.