Virginia Tech

Hello! My name is Kaitlyn, and I graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Science in Education – Youth and Social Innovation, and a minor in Anthropology. My journey through college allowed me to gain valuable experience in the areas of student development, mentorship, career advising, and coaching through leadership positions across various student affairs departments. Through my roles as Orientation Leader for Orientation and Transition Programs, and Resident Advisor at the International Residential College, I led small and large group presentations on navigating college including attaining academic excellence, extracurricular experience, and maintaining a balance for freshmen, upperclassmen, and international student populations. As Career Peer Educator in the Exploration and Education, Counseling, and Youth Development Communities, I served as an ambassador of the Career Center to the student body. I led outreach presentations elaborating on career development topics such as networking, attending a career/job fair, interview preparation, salary negotiation, and navigating the job/internship search process. During weekly office hours, I supported undergraduate and graduate students on their resumes and cover letters while providing individualized feedback. Through these leadership roles, I aimed to create an inclusive and safe environment, while encouraging students to achieve personal and professional development. I worked as Program Coordinator for the Earl Woods Scholar Program, which is a comprehensive scholarship program that provides ongoing support for students from under-represented communities to thrive in school and life. I supported high school and college students in the Los Angeles, CA; Anaheim, CA; Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia regions, to achieve their post-secondary dreams. I empowered students to succeed in college through ongoing financial aid, mentorship, specialized internship opportunities, skills development, career readiness resources and annual enrichment workshops. Providing undergraduate students and youth with the necessary educational tools and career development resources is an essential part of preparing career-ready graduates. In addition to guiding students through the college application process to gain admittance to their top choice schools, former students I have worked with have also gained national, institutional, and local scholarships including QuestBridge, Posse, Gates Millenium, College Board - BigFuture, the DC-CAP Scholarship, and more. Over the past six years, I have been actively involved in the education and non-profit sectors, where my primary focus and involvement has been supporting students in realizing their aspirations for post-secondary education. Currently, I am supporting high school and university scholars in pursuing careers of excellence and leadership in the non-profit/higher education field, and I aspire to attend a business graduate school in the future. Outside of advising you can find me spending time with family and friends, running,

My journey to where I stand today, ready to mentor and inspire as an advisor at CollegeAdvisor.com, has been as unique as the students I aim to guide. Bringing my love for technology and a bit of entrepreneurial flair into the mix, I believe I can leverage my diverse background and perspective to help students navigate the challenging college application process. I, too, have once struggled with finding my true voice in essays, deciding on majors, and choosing the right school. Therefore, I am eager to lead the next generation of innovators to their perfect match school with empathy and insight.