About Me

As a mom of two developing young people whose interests and curiosities continue to fascinate and amaze me daily, I know intimately the challenges, stress, and joy the teenage years and transition to college bring. My younger son is a freshman in high school, a sports and lifestyle photographer, entrepreneur, basketball player, and avid recreational golfer. My oldest lives his dream of playing college football at Bucknell University while being an active Phi Gamma Delta fraternity member, pursuing his own educational goals, taking classes of interest, and creating career opportunities.

I hold a certification in college advising and career planning from the University of California, Berkeley and have completed a practicum in college counseling at Notre Dame Academy High School in Los Angeles. Specific to guiding student athletes, I completed the Advising the College-Bound Student Athlete certificate program and the National Association for College Admission Counseling program in the Student-Athlete Advising Process.

My passion for supporting students and families, being a community resource in the field of education, and my personal experience as a parent inspired me to assist other students and families through their educational journeys into higher education. As a researcher and writer of numerous academic papers, presentations, and publications, I bring this expertise to assist my students in developing and writing college essays. A lifelong learner and advocate for children and families, I have worked in program development and evaluation, trained and mentored educators, served as an advocate, advisor, and consultant, and been a high school and college faculty member. I have been a consultant to a wide variety of organizational settings, including WestEd, California Department of Education, UCLA Department of Education, First5LA, Los Angeles Universal Preschool, National Association for the Education of Young Children, Culver City Unified School District, El Camino Community College Child Development Department, and various private and non-profit educational programs.

As an undergraduate at Texas Christian University, I was an involved community member, president of my sorority, and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a double major in Psychology and English. Interested in developmental psychology and research, I earned an MA in Child Development and Family Relationships from the University of Texas at Austin, the graduate student research award, and excellence in teaching distinction. After working in a community-based non-profit educational setting, I attended a doctoral program at the University of California, Irvine in Psychology and Social Behavior, specializing in Developmental Psychology with emphases in Criminology and Child Psychopathology.

Since moving to Manhattan Beach 16 years ago, I have been involved extensively in the local educational community, serving as an elementary school PTA President, middle and high school PTA VP of Programs, legislative representative, active board member of two Mira Costa athletics booster clubs, as well as a member of the District Advisory Council, Manhattan Beach Education Foundation, Social-Emotional Wellness Committee, and school site council yearly program evaluation for the high school. I was also involved in the Challenge Success program, a partnership with Stanford University Graduate School of Education to decrease stress and create healthier school environments, and the development and launch of the district-wide Makerspace.

Specialty Areas

Athletic Recruiting

Students Enrolled

Loyola Marymount University, Santa Clara University, University of San Diego, California State University, Northridge, California Lutheran University, San Diego State University, Pepperdine University, University of Southern California, University of California at Merced, Chapman University, Saint Mary's College of California, Stetson University, University of Oregon, Southern Methodist University, Morehouse College, University of Miami, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Arizona State University -- Tempe Campus, The University of Arizona, San Francisco State University, San Jose State University, Northern Arizona University, Sonoma State University, The University of Utah, Pennsylvania State University -- University Park, University of California, Riverside, Colorado State University, Western Washington University, University of Houston, Spelman College, Hampton University.

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