I’ve been in and around college admissions in some form since 1992, when I was asked by the Director of Admissions at the (now) Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University to call and congratulate the newly admitted students. I was “paid” in pizza and a free long-distance phone call home to my family in Tacoma, WA. (Don’t judge, back in the early 90’s it cost a lot of money to call home, ok, yeah, I’m old.)

The first 13 years of my career were spent on the college side, crafting enrollment marketing materials, running auditions, recruiting nationally and internationally, and managing multi-million dollar financial aid budgets. In 2011, I switched sides to create the college advising program at The Chicago High School for the Arts, Chicago’s first public high school specializing in performing and visual arts. HM College Consulting was born out of a desire to help more students (both in the arts and outside the arts) navigate the current college admissions landscape—including arts auditions and portfolios—and make the process manageable for students and families. In the fall of 2021, I became a full time college consultant. I’ve gotten to work with families across the US serving athletes, engineers, actors, musicians, visual artists, English majors and every other kind of major you can think of. I’m proud of the fact that I’ve been able to learn something awesome about every student I’ve work with.

On Instagram and TikTok, I try to comment on college most days. Now, after 30 years in this field, I know I want students to be successful, parents to feel less stressed, and colleges to do things better and kinder. I figure I’ve worked with over 2000 families since I started doing this work officially in 1995. I’m particularly interested in sharing the interesting educational paths that people take on their college and career journey.

In 2025, I hope to help even more students!