College Admission Coach |
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Jodi Walder
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Emily Standish
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Debra Sankovitz
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Abby McKinnon
College Admission Coach Abby grew up on the water in Astoria OR, and took advantage of the public university system here in Oregon. She attended Oregon State University for undergrad, then landed at PSU for a Master’s degree in Counseling. Throughout graduate school and the 12 years following, Abby has worked with kids of all ages and their families, with a concentration on fostering coping skills through life transitions and school success. Bumbling through the college admission process with her own daughter in 2013 led Abby to volunteer at Franklin High School’s college and career center, as well as make a career shift into private practice in 2015. She completed her colege counseling certification through UCLA, and is a current member of the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA) and the Portland Area College Counselors’ Consortium (PACCC). Abby is especially committed to the notion of “best fit” and deeply believes her role is not only to help support kids TO college, but also THROUGH college. It’s her goal to help them find the intersection of academics, healthy finances, and opportunities to connect and build relationship, all within an environment where each student will thrive. When not working with kids, Abby spends time with her daughter and hubby of 20 years, traveling, entertaining, playing cribbage, and snuggling with her kitty, Pearl. abby@collegeadmissioncoach.com (503) 317-8761 s |
Robin Johnson
College Admission Coach Robin grew up in the Portland area, an only child with a deep love of reading, music and the outdoors. She received her Bachelor of Music degree in French Horn Performance from Northwestern University, and after graduation, felt the pull to return to her roots in the Pacific Northwest. As a freelance musician in the Portland area, she has played with all kind of groups from jazzy horn trios to full orchestras. In addition to performing as a musician, she has been a woodwind repair person, trumpet manufacturer, bank teller and wine server. In September of 2013 she began volunteering in the College and Career Center at Cleveland High School and realized that working with high school students to navigate the college process was her dream job. She became a member of the leadership team there and took over the mentoring program while completing the UCLA College Counseling Certificate program.Robin is a member of the Portland Area College Counselors Consortium (PACCC) and the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA). When she’s not helping students to craft their college lists, manage their application deadlines or brainstorm and edit their application essays, she enjoys reading, hiking with her husband and dog, playing bridge and texting her sons. robin@collegeadmissioncoach.com |
Jen Namba
College Admission Coach Growing up in suburban Minnesota, Jen made her way to the West Coast when she started college in Santa Cruz, CA. Majoring in English and psychology, Jen spent her early post-college years teaching high school English and drama. Her family moved between the West Coast and New Zealand for several years, so Jen chose to home educate her kids. Finally landing in Washougal, WA on a permanent basis, Jen found herself ready to launch her second-half-of-life career. With extensive experience teaching essay writing to home school groups, as well as over ten years of working with high school students in a mentoring capacity, Jen decided to pursue a career in admissions coaching, receiving her College Counseling Certificate from UCLA. She currently volunteers with the AVID program at Washougal High School,and is a full-time independent educational consultant. Jen loves working with both traditionally-educated and home-educated students in pursuit of their post-high school hopes and dreams. When not working with students or touring college campuses, Jen loves to read, scrapbook, hike, spend time with her teenage sons and practice yoga. jennamba@gmail.com (831) 588-1533 |