Most families don’t realize they are already behind.
And by the time they do, the window for real strategy has already started closing.
The Problem
The students sitting across from me aren't struggling. They're exceptional. Strong GPAs, impressive extracurriculars, dedicated families who have invested in their child's future at every step.
And yet they're applying to top universities the same way everyone else is. Listing achievements. Filling out boxes. Hoping the numbers speak for themselves.
They don't. Not anymore.
The most selective universities in the country aren't just evaluating performance. They're evaluating fit, narrative, and differentiation. They want to understand who your student is, what drives them, and why they belong in that specific community. That story doesn't write itself in senior year. It gets built intentionally, over time.
Most families come to me saying some version of the same thing: "We thought we had more time."
I figured out the Ivy League on my own. Now I hand you the map.
One student. One school. No guidance. That experience became the foundation for everything.
My Story
I grew up in Ocala, Florida, not exactly a pipeline to the Ivy League. My high school had an IB program and a college counselor, but when it came to applying to Cornell University, I was largely on my own. I was the only student from my school to be admitted to an Ivy League institution that year.
I didn't have a strategist. I didn't have a roadmap. What I had was the drive to figure it out, to research, to position myself deliberately, and to understand what admissions committees were actually looking for beneath the surface. I got in.
That experience shaped everything that came after. I went on to build a career spanning finance, Fortune 500 consulting, and institutional strategy, conducting research at Columbia University along the way. For over a decade, my work has centered on one consistent skill: identifying what makes something genuinely stand out in a competitive landscape and building the strategy to match.
Yet the more I refined that skill professionally, the more I felt called to use it for something greater. Helping students find and articulate their own edge, and walk into the most competitive admissions processes in the world with clarity and confidence, felt like the most meaningful application of everything I had spent years building.
This is not a checklist service. It’s a strategic partnership.
A small number of student families. Full attention. Real outcomes.
Why Guiding Star Prep
I work closely with a small number of students and families each cycle, intentionally. This is not a volume business. Every student I work with gets my full attention, a customized strategy, and a partner who is genuinely invested in their outcome.
My approach isn't about padding a résumé or chasing trends. It's about helping your student understand their own story clearly enough to tell it compellingly, to Cornell, to Princeton, to wherever they're aiming.
I've been through the process. I've spent years on the other side evaluating what makes a candidate compelling versus forgettable. And I grew up in a place where no one handed me the map.
That combination is rare. And it's exactly what your student needs.
Ready to Understand Where Your Student Actually Stands?
One conversation can change the entire trajectory. Start here.
Let’s talk about your student
Have questions about the admissions process or not sure which service is right for you? Reach out and we will be happy to point you in the right direction.