Why Work With Me

I was the first in my family to attend a four-year college, and I navigated the application process with very little guidance about how to apply — or what actually makes a school the right fit. I transferred twice before I finally found mine. I know firsthand how much harder that journey is when you're figuring it out alone, and how much it matters to have someone in your corner who understands the process.

That experience shapes everything I do. I want to help students understand what they truly want from their college years, feel confident and supported through every step of the application process, and arrive ready to thrive — not just survive — in their next chapter. In my previous role as a college adviser, I saw the gap that opens up when students are supported only as far as their acceptance letter, and then left on their own to navigate everything that comes after. Beyond the Letter College Advising exists to close that gap — to support students from all backgrounds, in a way that's tailored to who they are and what they need, well beyond the day they say "yes" to a school.

That mission is backed by the two things families need most in a college adviser: front-line admissions expertise and a deep understanding of what it takes to actually stay enrolled and thrive once a student arrives on campus.

A decade of front-line student support

I hold a Master of Public Administration from North Carolina State University and a Bachelor of Arts from Davidson College, along with specialized training in college advising and financial aid through the College Advising Corps and in basic needs, campus resource navigation, and student crisis support through the University of Virginia.

I have years of specialized support experience. As an AmeriCorps College Adviser with the College Advising Corps, I worked one-on-one with students, many of them the first in their families to consider college, mentoring 372 high school seniors through admissions, financial aid, and enrollment while helping 363 juniors begin their academic and financial planning. Seeing how the right guidance at the right moment can change the trajectory of a student's life is what made this work my calling.

As a Basic Needs Coordinator at UVA's Care & Support Services, I worked directly with college students facing hardship of every kind — financial, social, academic — connecting them with the resources they needed to stay enrolled and succeed. This is the foundation of the retention side of my practice: the "beyond the letter" work itself. Helping a student get to college means little if they can't stay, and I know how to spot the barriers that push students out and connect them to the support that keeps them enrolled.

From getting in, to getting funded, to staying enrolled, I bring the credentials and the hands-on experience to support your family at every step.