This is one of those posts that makes me particularly happy to write. We've just hired Katie Lawler to run our Collegewise office in Plano, Texas opening this June.
And Katie is a former Collegewise kid.
The backstory
Back in 2002, Katie was a high school student with credentials strong enough to consider plenty of prestigious colleges. But Katie and her parents wanted her to find the place that fit her best. The Lawler family didn't care at all about name brand recognition. Katie found that fit at the University of Redlands. She was our kind of kid.
Since that time, Katie has dedicated her professional life to admissions and college counseling. She's been a college counselor at two high schools in Houston. She worked in admissions at Chapman University. She has a masters in education from USC. And while we've corresponded over the years about her working at Collegewise, the timing just never worked out.
No special treatment
Katie's Collegewise history makes a great story, but that's not why we knew she'd be a great Collegewise counselor. She wrote an outstanding cover letter that was impossible not to notice. Her resume showed her depth of experience on both sides of the admissions desk. She and I had several interviews where we talked about her counseling style, how she handles tough counseling situations, what she learned in admissions, and how she's made an impact at her current and former jobs. When she spent the afternoon with The Princeton Review's local staff in Plano, they came back with rave reviews of her.
Katie doesn't just know admissions and counseling–she knows Collegewise. She's the first counselor we've ever hired who can stand up in front of families and share her personal experience with our program. We can't wait for her to come back and be our colleague.
Next steps
Katie's going to be packing up her cowgirl boots and moving from Houston to Plano in June. And when The Princeton Review's brand spankin' new offices are ready, Katie will move in and be their roomie.
So say "Howdy," to Katie Lawler, y'all! Nope, I can't pull off the Southern talk. Thankfully, Katie can.