Laura is a San Francisco-based educator with over twenty years of teaching, coaching, and admissions consulting experience. She grew up in the mountains of Virginia, studied filmmaking at Bard College, and earned her MFA in writing from California College of the Arts. Through her studies, Laura developed a love for storytelling that fueled her career as a fiction writer and college counselor. Now, her unique blend of creativity and strategy has made her an expert in guiding students on how to create compelling applications that tell their stories best.
Throughout her career, Laura has partnered with hundreds of clients, providing them with customized admissions support starting as early as 9th grade. She appreciates getting to know her students so that she can empower them to embrace their aspirations and navigate their college journeys with authenticity and confidence. Laura especially enjoys supporting students in building their admissions resumes, finding exciting summer opportunities, and crafting the perfect school list. Her emphasis on mindfulness, stress management, and executive function also ensures that the process feels achievable and exciting. Her students frequently secure admission to their dream schools, including those in the Ivy League, top liberal arts schools, art programs, and state universities.
- She placed as a finalist with her short story collection for the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction; she is currently working on a novel.
- Laura was awarded a MacDowell Fellowship, a prestigious writing residency, as a published fiction writer; she was also chosen as the Artist in Residence at Suttle Lodge.
- She was recently published in the New School's literary magazine, LIT, and it has been featured on KQED.
- She likes to garden, bike around San Francisco, and hang out with her tortie cat, Toast.
- Laura teaches classes and workshops in the Bay Area as a certified yoga teacher.
