Meet Liz
Your Educational Consultant, College Admissions Advisor, & Mentor
Hi! I’m an independent educational consultant, former teacher, curriculum designer, and certified yoga instructor.
My Story
I started college counseling at a non-profit, where every Saturday, I’d drive a big red van filled with teens to different college campuses in New England. I’d get a couple dozen rainbow bagels and munchkin donuts for the ride, and played Bad Bunny while chatting with the kids about how school and life was going. My kids endearingly called me Dad, which everyone on college tours thought was hilarious.
My job was to open doors to first generation teens going to college. And now, my job is to open doors for your teen.
I grew up in between the Tri-Town and Brookline, MA, with two parents who went to Stanford and Harvard. Yet I never felt like these schools were my path, and I felt lost in the shuffle of a large public school. I felt pressure to be high achieving, and take APs and do well on the SAT ACT, but I had little direction, guidance, or insight into what I was genuinely looking for in a college as a human.
I entered college as a biochemistry major, certain I had to have it all figured out. I didn’t. I know firsthand that even a good college can feel like the wrong place if the community is not right. I tell my students these stories all the time because I want them to know that they don’t have to have it all figured out at the age of 17. It’s just the beginning of their grand adventure.
After college, I moved to Madrid, Spain, where I earned my Master’s in Education at the Universidad de Alcala. Living and working abroad rewired how I thought about life and the world. I witnessed my students and colleagues taking a 2 hour lunch break to go home and eat with their families. Life moved slower and people felt more connected. It was a refreshing breath of the community I so desperately craved in college. And it informs how I work as a college counselor- looking at the big picture and moving slowly and mindfully through a seemingly competitive and fast paced process.
I’ve spent over a decade working in education in both the United States and abroad. I’ve worked with every kind of student imaginable, from high achievers to stressed out overwhelmed kids to kids that go under the radar. And through my work as a teacher and college counselor, I’ve discovered that the college process, done right, should feel like an adventure, not an obstacle course. Rainbow bagels and red van optional.
My work doesn’t stop once my students submit their applications. I reach out and check in during their first year of college — sometimes a text, sometimes a lunch if I’m visiting the university they attend. A few of my former students have stayed in touch still to this day, and are working at their first job since graduating. That’s not a service I offer, it is just who I am.
On Traveling and Seeing the World
I’ve traveled to over different countries, which is important as a college counselor who focuses on international university admissions. Traveling helps me to understand cultures at a deeper level, something that provides invaluable insight into who would be a good fit to attend university there. I’ve been down the sunny streets of Italy, slipped across the smile tiled walkways of Portugal, and even rode a camel across the deserts of Morocco. I’ve seen the parks of Budapest and explored the cliffs of Mons Klint in Denmark. Throughout all of my visits, I have discovered how different people live, work, and learn. I’ve absorbed the cultural nuances of the people and places I’ve been, and witnessed how education happens around the world. And I love to share this insight with my clients.
"You helped me so much more than just with my college applications. You helped me build confidence in myself."
Credentials and Memberships
Education
- B.S. in Environmental Science & Photography, Allegheny College
- M.A. in Education, Universidad de Alcalá, Madrid, Spain
- Certificate in College Counseling, UCLA Extension
- Certified Yoga Teacher (RYT)
Professional Memberships
- IECA — Independent Educational Consultants Association (Professional Member)
- IECA Global Committee (Nominated Member)
- IECA DEIA Committee (Active Member)
- International ACAC — International Association for College Admission Counseling
- HECA — Higher Education Consultants Association
- Registered UCAS Center
- Annual attendee, IECA European Symposium
Experience
- 10+ years in education as teacher, academic director, and curriculum designer
- Classroom experience across multiple countries
- Former assistant director, college access nonprofit
- Visited 70+ colleges and universities in the US and abroad
Let's chat.
I started College EDvantage because I believe every student deserves a guide who actually sees them — not their GPA, not their test scores, not the college their parents went to. I keep my practice small on purpose. I take on 20 students per graduating year, and I show up fully for each one.
If you’re looking for someone who will hand your teen a checklist and call it consulting, I’m probably not the right fit. But if you want someone who will learn who your student actually is, stay with them through every draft and every doubt, and still be checking in on them a year after they arrive on campus — I’d love to meet your family.
No commitment… Just a conversation.