In 2006, I joined the Westlake High School Guidance Committee, a well-established organization that assists the school counselors on a daily basis.  I was on the committee for ten years, and I most enjoyed sitting with students in the college center exploring university materials/websites and reviewing application requirements. That volunteer position marked the beginning of my journey into full-time college counseling. 

I later worked in the University of Texas Admissions Office as an Application Review Specialist (holistic reviewer) where I reviewed entire applications for hundreds of students from around the world in 2018 and 2019 and assisted with a research project in the department in Summer 2020. UT Austin’s review process is similar to the most competitive universities, and there I gained knowledge and understanding of what university admissions  consider “best fits” for their individual programs. 

I earned a Specialized Certificate in College Counseling  from the University of California, San Diego where I studied under several of the most experienced counselors in the industry.  In addition to consulting through my practice, I am a volunteer college coach at Breakthrough Central Texas whose mission is to create a path to and through college for students who will become the first in their families to earn a college degree. 

I have spent much of my career in financial management, as a CPA and former CFO. I worked for the Eanes Education Foundation for several years where I interacted regularly with the district’s Board of Trustees and staff throughout the district. I learned much about challenges facing higher education.  The Austin Community Foundation contracted me to serve as Interim Scholarship Manager, and I managed the application and review process in Spring 2022. Assisting college students with applications requires project management skills as students juggle deadlines, application materials and requirements. My business skills have transferred nicely as I guide them and their families through these challenges. 

My goal is for every student to find an environment in which they thrive academically, socially and emotionally, as well as feel prepared to meet the higher educational challenges they will encounter in the future.