As an independent educational consultant, author, and essay coach, I specialize in helping students craft standout college applications that showcase their authentic stories. Whether you're from a traditional school or homeschool background, I'll guide you in creating a balanced list of colleges you love and developing clear, compelling essays that capture admissions officers' attention.

I specialize in supporting homeschoolers and their families. After homeschooling my own five children, I intimately understand the homeschool journey. Some of my recent media appearances include:

Tests & The Rest Podcast: College Documentation For Homeschoolers

Your College-Bound Kid Podcast Interview #186: How Admission Officers Evaluate Homeschooled Applicants

Round Table Discussion: How Admission Officers Evaluate Homeschooled Applicants

Well-Trained Mind: Season 3 Episodes 10 & 11

The College Checklist Podcast: Apple Podcast Link

The College Checklist Podcast: Spotify Podcast Link

With a Master's in Teaching from UNC-Chapel Hill and years of experience, I bring solid knowledge to the admissions process. As a professional member of Independent Educational Consultants Association, I chaired their homeschool affinity group, served as faculty for multiple Summer Training Institutes, and received IECA's "Making a Difference" award.

No matter your educational path, I'm committed to helping you move forward in a thoughtful way. Book a free introductory meeting today!

About Me

I help students in all educational settings create clear, concise, and compelling college admission applications and I assist home educating parents as they craft their counselor documents. Writers of all ages benefit from the suggestions I offer as I affectionately affirm their authentic voices.

I'm a professional member of IECA and one of seven inaugural recipients of their Making a Difference Award. Within IECA, I formed and served as the first chair of the homeschool affinity group. Our group grew to over 100 members in the first year. With the help of some fantastic co-chairs, I planned or hosted three college admission panels with nine colleges and universities. We also created a "best practices for working with homeschoolers" document and made it available to all IECA members. I presented at the Fall 2020 IECA conference and served as a faculty member for IECA's 2021 Summer Training Institute.

In my work at Brave Writer, I coached 300+ high school students in a wide variety of 4-6 week online classes. My supervisors asked me to train (1 of 2 facilitators) a cohort of ten newly hired high school instructors. Once new coaches began teaching, I supervised and individually mentored seven of them during their first classes.

During my two decades as a home educator, I selected and created homeschooling materials while I taught my five children who span a fourteen-year age range. My philosophy of education included quality group interactions and I organized or led literature and writing groups, a Science Olympiad team, math clubs, public speaking classes and clubs, and field trips too numerous to list. I formed and moderated an online 500+ member homeschool support group. When our local IPSD 204 school district changed its school board policies regarding homeschoolers, I helped them craft a fair and equitable policy. I enthusiastically fostered connections between the Naperville homeschooling community and the Lederman and Early Scholars program at North Central College.

Prior to homeschooling, I taught secondary social studies at a Coalition of Essential Schools program within a public high school. My articles have been published in Homeschool Enrichment and Practical Homeschooling magazines. IECA's Insights newsletter will soon publish a column I co-wrote.

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