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Jodi Walder
College Admission Coach℠


Jodi is the founder and owner of College Admission Coach℠. She puts her drama degree from UC Irvine to good use, as she is overly dramatic when explaining why it is important to find a right-match college. After stints as an English teacher, media buyer, advertising sales rep, Kinderdance franchise owner, magazine editor and corporate marketing communications manager, Jodi finally found her true calling and got her college counseling certificate from UCLA. Since 2005, she has helped over 1000 students navigate the college admissions process and unabashedly admits that she is an application essay geek, since she loves a good story. During reading season, Jodi has worked as an application reader for a highly-selective east coast college. 

Jodi belongs to the following professional associations for college counselors: PNACAC (Pacific Northwest Association for College Admission Counseling), HECA (Higher Education Consultants Association) and PACCC (Portland Area College Counselors Consortium). She visits at least 25 colleges per year, collecting pennants everywhere, but only buying additional swag if the school color is purple.

When she is not working with College Admission Coach℠ students, Jodi can be found hiking through the Columbia Gorge, keeping up with the reading for her two book groups, dancing in her living room,  improvising healthy recipes or hanging with College Admission Cat Sherwood (as in: I "Sure Would" like to get into X College).

jodi@collegeadmissioncoach.com 
(503) 720-7114
Virtual or in-person in SW Portland, OR or Camas, WA
College Admission Coach​℠ maintains a network of excellent Independent Educational Consultants who practice ethical behavior and all have a similar "student-first" philosophy:
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Emily Standish
​Independent Educational Consultant

Emily grew up on a dairy farm in New York State, where she learned a practical approach to getting the job done and just how much a dollar can buy. Her strong sense of the value of education was passed down from  her great-grandmother, who taught Art and French at Stephens College in the late 1800's, and from her grandmother who graduated from the Women's College at Brown University, Class of 1905. Working with each student to find the right list of colleges at the right price comes naturally, and getting those pesky applications completed with time to spare is what she does best. 

A big believer in the Land Grant Universities, Emily earned a B.A. from Michigan State University and a  College Counseling Certificate, UCLA.  As an independent college counselor, the coordinator of the College and Career Center at Cleveland High School, and an ASPIRE mentor, she guides students through the college search, application, and visit processes.  Emily especially loves working with students interested in music, film or foreign languages.

Emily belongs to professional associations for college counselors including the Pacific Northwest Association for College Admission Counseling (PNACAC), Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA) and the Portland Area College Counselors Consortium. Her continuing education includes dozens of college visits each year, as well as being both a presenter and attendee at industry conferences.

emily@collegeadmissioncoach.com
(503) 267-4605

Debra Sankovitz
Independent Educational Consultant

Eighteen years of experience as a public high school counselor has enabled Debra to develop a solid understanding of the everyday life of teens.  She knows how busy students and their parents are and how confusing this complex college-related stuff can be. With her broad student-focused background, Debra skillfully guides students in authentic essay writing and discovering colleges they are excited about.  Her goal is to help students gain confidence, reduce stress, and have some fun along the way!  

Debra is a Certified Educational Planner, the highest level of recognized competence in educational planning through AICEP.  Debra earned her College Counseling Certificate from UCLA. She prepared for her licensure in School Counseling at Lewis & Clark College, holds an MA in Education Psychology from University of Colorado at Denver, and a liberal arts degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. When not working with students or hanging out with her three adult children, she and her two big, furry dogs are routinely off on some form of outdoor adventure.

debra@collegeadmissioncoach.com
​(503) 901-0059
​100% Virtual

Rachel Coleman
Independent Educational Consultant and Writing Tutor

Rachel is a perpetual reader who loves to empower students to effectively communicate their ideas in writing. After graduating from Stanford University with a degree in Comparative Literature in 2014, Rachel earned her College Counseling Certificate from UCLA.  It was not so long ago that she was completing her own college applications and is intimately familiar with the questions and challenges that accompany this process. Her time at Stanford even included a year studying abroad at Oxford University where she indulged her anglophile yearnings and spent most of her time in the Bodleian Library. 
 
Rachel also tutored for three years at Stanford’s Hume Center for Writing and Speaking, culminating in leading the Hume as the Peer Tutor Coordinator her senior year. From research proposals, to resumes and cover letters, to essays in all disciplines, Rachel is fluent in the coaching process and knows what it takes to help students tell their stories. Rachel works with students from around the world entirely via Zoom to coach them through the whole application process, from creating a fantastic college list to earning scholarships.

rachel@collegeadmissioncoach.com
100% Virtual meetings

Jen Nelson
Independent Educational Consultant

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. 

jen@collegeadmissioncoach.com
(831) 588-1533
Virtual or in-person in Washougal, WA
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Caroline McCulloch
Independent Educational Consultant

Caroline has been teaching language arts and social studies over two decades. Working with teens is what she loves best. She knows how to build relationships, foster rapport, and keep students organized. Caroline’s expertise in teaching the writing process allows her students to develop meaningful essays. Her student-centered approach helps teens develop a sense of self, boost confidence and calmly navigate the college admissions process. Caroline guides students to find a college environment where they will thrive. 

Caroline grew up in Berkeley, CA where she walked the campus of UC Berkeley from a young age. After obtaining her BA from Willamette University in Salem, she returned to the Bay Area and pursued an MFA at the Academy of Art in San Fransisco. While on a photo shoot in a classroom, she found herself wanting to engage with the students rather than take pictures. She moved to Portland where she received her Masters of Arts in Teaching from Lewis & Clark College and her College Counseling Certificate from UCLA. 

Caroline loves to run, ski, cook, and grow produce in her fifteen raised garden beds. She can also be found exploring the beautiful Northwest with her husband and two kids. 

caroline@collegeadmissioncoach.com
(503) 758-5613
​100% Virtual
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              Kalyn McCall
              Independent Educational Consultant

 Born and raised in Southern California, Kalyn loves learning for the sake of learning and,                   as an educator, loves working with students to help them find the same joy. As an                 undergraduate at Stanford University, Kalyn studied and earned degrees in African and African American Studies, History, and a Master’s in Sociology. While there, she also took the time to study abroad at the University of Cape Town (South Africa) and across the country at Spelman College, a Historically Black College/University (HBCU) in Atlanta, Georgia. Given that both of her parents were the first in their families to receive a college education, Kalyn appreciates and treasures every opportunity to explore. After graduating in 2014, she transitioned to Harvard University to attain her Master’s and Ph.D. in History and earned her College Counseling Certificate from UCLA. For her, knowledge is a lifelong pursuit, fueling her passion for helping others have the same chance. 

Kalyn enjoys the mentorship process and seeing students succeed. With patience, she works with every student to assess their strengths, identify their goals, tell their stories, and reach their potential. While the past is written, the future is yet to be determined, making it necessary to work hard to provide access to resources and opportunities. 

kalyn@collegeadmissioncoach.com
(714) 321-7790
100% Virtual

Comprehensive college counseling
Serving students in Oregon, Washington, California and throughout the United States
Virtual coaching worldwide or in-person coaching in Portland, Oregon, SW Washington and Tacoma, Washington
info@collegeadmissioncoach.com  
Jodi Walder,  jodi@collegeadmissioncoach.com , (503) 720-7114
Emily Standish, emily@collegeadmissioncoach.com , (503) 267-4605​  
Debra Sankovitz, debra@collegeadmissioncoach.com , (503) 901-0059
Rachel Coleman, rachel@collegeadmissioncoach.com 
Jen Nelson, jen@collegeadmissioncoach.com , (831) 588-1533
Caroline McCulloch, caroline@collegeadmissioncoach.com , (503) 758-5613
​Kalyn McCall, kalyn@collegeadmissioncoach.com , (714) 321-7790
College Admission Coach℠, LLC makes no representations, warranties or guarantees about admission to any school. 
Content copyright 2009-2023. College Admission Coach℠, LLC. All rights reserved.