I am a writer, editor, and instructor with a background in mainstream journalism leadership: I was a founding editor of Time Inc.'s Sports Illustrated for Kids Magazine and a senior editor at Sesame Workshop. My personal essays have been published in anthologies and in my newsletter and blog, and for several years I wrote the “College Bound” column in Montclair (NJ) Local.

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I have been an active volunteer for Dartmouth College since graduation, serving five years as Essex County District Enrollment Director and, for more than three decades, as an alumni interviewer. I hold a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Nonfiction Writing from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Dartmouth, which honored me with its Alumni Award for extraordinary service to the College.

Born in Montclair, NJ, I lived outside the United States for much of my childhood, returning in time to attend Montclair Kimberley Academy for middle and high school. I’ve raised three daughters, all of whom attended the Montclair Public Schools from kindergarten through twelfth grade.

My coaching philosophy

I believe that students—high school seniors in particular—and their families stress needlessly over applying to college. As the parent of three college graduates (one also has a grad school degree), I am very familiar with that brand of anxiety. I know that—with my background in writing and writing instruction, as well as my keen belief in the positive influence of good writing—I can help families address the application process with confidence.  

I meet each student where they are, with a coaching process that takes into account their particular attitude and approach to writing. I help them identify a focused topic and teach them how to add introspection and insight to their narrative. We brainstorm at length and as often as necessary, and I help each client identify a narrative arc that aims to keep the application reader’s experience front of mind.

I love meeting with students early, before applications become something they have to squeeze in between the crush of senior-year classes and their extracurricular pursuits. Many of my clients begin after the conclusion of their junior year; others don’t come to me till late in the summer or early in the fall of their senior year. I’ve learned that the best time to start is when a student feels ready. I make myself available throughout the summer months, and, come fall, I’m typically available seven days a week, including evenings. My clients work with me remotely, via phone and Google docs.

I have coached the application essay privately since 2006, and I’ve been a workshop leader of writing coaches and students at IMANI, a college advocacy center in Montclair, NJ, where many of the graduates are first-generation college applicants. I’ve also coached high school juniors and seniors through the Paterson, NJ, CDC, and for several years, I taught the creative writing spectrum—from poetry to nonfiction prose—at Columbia University’s Summer High School Program.