I help high school students and their families navigate the college search and application process with confidence and ease. Through calm, personalized guidance, I empower students to make informed decisions and find a great fit for their academic and personal goals.

Specialties: Project Management, including Course Planning, College/University Searches, Summer and Extracurricular Planning, Essay Development and Editing, and Application Strategy

About Me

I am an independent educational consultant and the founder of Neal College Advisors. I am passionate about education and believe that every student can achieve their potential by confidently identifying, planning for, and actualizing their dreams. This journey can be a time of rewarding growth and development, and I am thrilled to draw on my personal and professional experience to guide students through it.



The through line of my career has been a professional application of the written word. Working in linguistics and as an editor for publications and businesses, I have developed expertise in communicating effectively across various audiences. I’ve always been fascinated by higher education, but it was while accompanying my three very different sons on their college tours, and helping to curate their college lists and prepare their applications, that I realized my genuine passion for finding a student’s best fit.



I love working with all kinds of students, including athletes. While helping my youngest son, a tennis player, I came to appreciate the complexities of the search for a college that provides due space for an athlete to excel in his or her sport while simultaneously satisfying the myriad “normal” criteria that go into a college choice.

I am a Florida native and lived in Colorado and Massachusetts before moving to North Carolina in 1999. I hold a B.A. from the University of Florida, an M.A. in Theoretical English Linguistics from the University of South Florida, and a Certificate in College Counseling, awarded with distinction, from UCLA. I serve as a Matchlighters volunteer college counselor; an associate member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA); and a member of the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling (SACAC). I keep current on admission practices and trends, attend professional conferences, and obsessively visit college campuses across the country. I adhere to the strict code of ethics stated in the IECA Principles of Good Practice.

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Reach out to schedule a complimentary initial conversation, during which we’ll discuss your student’s situation and aspirations. I am based in North Carolina, but I work with families located in any time zone.

Specialty Areas

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