Amy began this work on the college side, first as an Admissions Fellow and Admissions Interviewer at her alma mater Bates College (Lewiston, ME), then as an Admission Counselor at Paul Smith’s College (Paul Smith’s, NY), and later as Assistant Director of Admission at Colorado College (Colorado Springs, CO). After reading thousands of applications and advocating for students within admission committees, she transitioned to the high school side and took on roles as a College Advisor at Deerfield Academy (Deerfield, MA), College Counselor for the St. Paul’s School Advanced Studies Program (Concord, NH), and Co-Director of College Counseling at Mayfield Senior School (Pasadena, CA).

Prior to working in admissions and counseling, Amy conducted academic research about how students experience the transition from high school to college. She majored in anthropology and wrote an honors thesis about global education trends in South Africa. Experiences teaching English as a second language to Zulu children in rural KwaZulu-Natal, Somali adults in Maine’s diaspora, and refugee teenagers in Boston through Harvard University’s Phillips Brooks House Association sparked her sustaining mission to promote educational access.

Amy completed the College Advising Program at Columbia Teachers College and a 200 hour hatha yoga teacher certification in Costa Rica, both of which inform her mindful approach to supporting students through an intentional college process that centers authenticity, self-awareness, and pursuit of ikigai.

Advice: College success is not about fitting a mold, but about understanding who you are and finding institutions that will value and empower you.