LAUREN

Director of College Advising & Former Williams Admissions Officer

Originally from the Bay Area in California, Lauren went east for college, completing her undergraduate degree at Smith College with a major in psychology and a minor in English. Her early professional career exposed her to the world of community mental health, leading Lauren to return to school and earn her Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University. 

Upon completing her graduate degree, Lauren worked in the mental health arena for many years, gaining experience in a range of clinical settings but focusing primarily on children, adolescents, and families. After approximately ten years of clinical work, Lauren took an opportunity to work closely with students at Central European University as the Director of Student Services while living in Prague, Czech Republic. There she discovered her true professional love — guiding and supporting students through times of educational (and emotional!) growth and transition. 

Lauren later returned to the US and served as Assistant Director of Admissions at Williams College for a number of years, working with domestic and international applicants. About 15 years ago, she moved to the DC metro area to become the Director of College Counseling at an elite private high school before transitioning on to work with numerous national college consulting companies.

Over the last twenty years, Lauren has helped thousands of students and families navigate the college admissions process. She understands the complexity of the landscape, and appreciates that the journey can be equal parts exciting and stressful. Lauren truly believes in each student’s potential to thrive where they land, and strives to offer thoughtful, highly personalized, and honest guidance with integrity and warmth. 

When she’s not working, Lauren is likely to be reading — there’s always a huge stack of library books in her house — or exploring the Washington, DC metro area. Lauren loves spending time with friends, enjoying good food and great wine, and is infinitely grateful that all of her travels have allowed her to make, and keep, friendships across the globe. If she’s not doing any of the above, Lauren is likely to be tending to her very bossy rescue cat (who clearly thinks he’s a dog), or baking.

MATTIE

COLLEGE ADVISOR & Former Pitzer and Colorado College ADMISSIONs OFFICER

Mattie received the Yale Book Award when she was in secondary school, which recognizes outstanding high school juniors for their character, leadership, scholarship, and intellectual promise. Although the accolade is also given to encourage potential candidates for admission to Yale, she did not end up applying.

Instead, she fell in love with Pitzer College’s commitment to social justice after attending an information session at her high school, and four years later earned her Bachelor’s in English & World Literature: Creative Writing at that same institution. While at Pitzer, Mattie worked as a tour guide and found that she loved helping students find their college fit, in the same way she found hers in high school.

After graduating, Mattie went on to work as an Admission Counselor for Pitzer. This set off a 10-year career in college admissions, where she read and evaluated more than 15,000 applications. Her time in admissions was dedicated to helping build diverse and talented classes as the head of the Diversity Fly-In Program, and culminated at Colorado College with her primary recruitment in New York, Southeast Asia, India, and Latin America. Her experiences help her advise students as she assists them in reflecting their values, accomplishments, and social impact in their college applications.

Students working with Mattie can expect an empathetic and relatable advisor, who will encourage them to push themselves to their highest potential. She is dedicated to helping students find their fit by listening attentively to their aspirations. In her free time, Mattie is learning food recipes on TikTok, doing yoga, and spending quality time with her husband, son, and orange tabby cat.