About Me

Carissa Hoitenga believes her credentials tell only part of her story. In high school, she was first-chair flute, a majorette, a dance student, and a gymnastics lover — quiet, focused, and accepted into a DPT Freshman Guarantee program promising a spot in a Doctorate of Physical Therapy program as a college freshman.

After leaving Michigan, Carissa deliberately sought out life experiences outside her comfort zone, spending a semester in Seville, Spain during her Sociology degree before earning her M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language in Puerto Rico — a leap into the unknown that became one of her best decisions. Her career in international education took her through Portland, ME, Memphis, TN, and Gainesville, FL, with her time in Memphis advising university students and volunteering locally sparking her passion for sharing college knowledge to help students avoid common missteps. She holds an Independent Educational Consulting Certificate, completed IECA's Summer Training Institute, and believes every student has their own unique path worth finding early. Outside of work, she loves traveling, Broadway shows, and occasionally fostering kittens.

Specialty Areas

General Ed Counseling

Students Enrolled

Brown University, United States Military Academy, The University of Arizona, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University -- Daytona Beach, Florida State University, University of California, Berkeley, University of Michigan -- Ann Arbor, University of Memphis, University of South Florida, Purdue University Northwest, University of Wisconsin -- Madison, Indiana University Bloomington, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States Naval Academy, University of Pittsburgh, Villanova University, University of Pennsylvania, University of California -- Los Angeles, Case Western Reserve University, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Pennsylvania State University -- University Park, Louisiana State University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Florida, University of Virginia, Washington University in St. Louis, Harvard University, Emory University, The Ohio State University -- Columbus, Samford University, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of California, San Diego, University of California, Davis, University of California, Irvine

Member of CounselMore