Our Team

Since 2013, I’ve worked with hundreds of students, guiding them through thousands of application essays. My clients have received acceptances and generous scholarship offers at a wide range of colleges and universities. I was introduced to the college admissions world by two experienced comprehensive counselors who started as mentors and continue to be cherished colleagues. Prior to my time as a writing coach, I worked in the non-profit sector for 15 years, primarily in a communications capacity.

My own writing experience includes business writing, personal essays and I’m the author of a novel. In addition to my degree in English from Kenyon College, I’ve completed coursework in copyediting at the University of Chicago and taken classes in UC Berkeley’s College Admissions & Career Planning Program.

I am a member of the Higher Education Consultants Association, the standard-bearing professional organization for college counselors. In addition to its endless professional development opportunities, HECA enables me to hear directly from admissions officers on a regular basis. I also serve as an application reader for the Maisin Scholar Award. I lead workshops and trainings for counselors and aspiring essay coaches and I’ve designed resources for a large college counseling firm in Chicago.

I love getting to know my clients and having a chance to share in their major life passages. It’s an honor to immerse myself in their words, unravel their stories, find meaning, learn new things and cheer enthusiastically from the sidelines. When I’m not cheering enthusiastically, I like to consume a large quantity of books and delicious Bay Area food. Sometimes I take hikes with my husband and dog or go to a barre class. Despite my appreciation for the wonders of California, I’m a Midwesterner at heart, having grown up in the Chicago area.

As a professional writer who has developed stories for NPR, The Huffington Post, and The L.A. Times, I deeply understand and believe in the power of words. I have always felt most powerful when crafting words on the page and I hope to help my clients find their unique voice and wield the power of words in their college essays.

Since 2015, I’ve worked with all different types of students on essay writing and storytelling skills. At the University of Southern California, where I received a dual Bachelors in English and Political Science and a Masters in Journalism, I tutored student athletes and English language learners in basic and advanced writing courses. I believe that getting a student to feel passionate about their story or thesis is always the first step to a heartfelt and successful essay. Since 2020, I’ve also been leading personal essay writing courses with Thrive Scholars, which provides high-achieving students of color from economically underserved communities with college counseling and essay coaching.

I’m a Los Angeles native and attended a rigorous prep school, so I also understand the pressures that come with the college application process. It’s my goal to help ease some of that stress for my clients and help them hone their voice and gain confidence in their writing before they start college. 

In my spare time, I can be found working on my novel, reading, taking gymnastics or ballet classes or outside in the California sunshine 🙂

I have been working with clients to realize their higher education dreams since 2003. My clients have received offers to some of the top schools in the United States and Europe, with many receiving scholarship and fellowship assistance. I first began my admissions career helping candidates gain admission to the highest ranked post-graduate programs. In the past few years, I’ve expanded my work to include undergrad admissions, helping candidates with applications – and offers – from schools as diverse as state school to Ivy League.

I have always had a love for writing, however, that love blossomed when I became a ghostwriter for the Dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford. Talk about pressure! After business school, I used my writing in the business world, for everything from marketing to creating business pitches. Perhaps my most enjoyable writing experience was crafting the monthly newsletter for Soggy Paws, a Midwestern chain of dog grooming and pet supply stores that I co-founded.

While I love enabling students to tell their stories, perhaps my bigger enthusiasm lies in helping them first find their own unique story to tell, to be willing to say out loud that dream, that hope, that passion that they are afraid to share with anyone – sometimes even themselves. My goal is to help my clients discover their individual truths and then to let that truth shine on the page.

When I’m not working with clients, I can be found playing cards, volunteering for Stanford University, my alma mater, or in the kitchen, where I love recreating complicated restaurant dishes with simple at-home tools.

As a former middle and high school English teacher, I have worked with hundreds of students on developing and strengthening their writing skills. In the classroom, I thrived on sharing my love of literature and the writing process while discovering inventive ways to engage my students.

Following my graduation from Lehigh University, with a dual major in English and Political Science, I taught high school English and earned a Masters in the Teaching of English from Columbia University’s Teachers College. Since 2009, my family has been on the move from London to New York to Connecticut and most recently relocating to Chicago. In spite of all my family’s travel, I kept returning to the field of education, which has provided a home for me wherever I go.

In 2020, I began working with Tina at Boyer Coaching, where I’ve had the opportunity to experience the best of both worlds: facilitating learning and growth in a one-on-one setting. As a writing coach, I can apply my skills as an educator while truly getting to know each of my students. No two clients are the same and it’s been my pleasure to support a wide range of students. I’ve been delighted by my clients’ outcomes and even more excited to observe their personal growth during our time together.

I have my Certificate in College Counseling from the University of California San Diego and am a member of the Higher Education Consultants Association. In my downtime I can be found binge watching TV, dreaming of vacations in the mountains or on the beach, curled up on the couch with a good book and my dogs on my lap, cycling on my Peloton or being Chauffeur Extraordinaire for my two children.