I graduated from Cornell University with a degree in biology. During the two years I allotted myself to figure out where (and in what) I would like to pursue a PhD, I worked as a zookeeper and then a research associate for a National Science Foundation-funded STEM education project. Both experiences opened my eyes to the deep need for science information that anyone could understand and appreciate. And that revelation led me to NYU’s Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting Program where I earned a master’s in journalism.

I’ve been writing about science and medicine since – I’ve been an editor at Scholastic Publishing in the classroom magazine division, at ABC News as a writer and producer on an Emmy-winning science news show, at a cancer dot-com, and at a magazine for people living with HIV. When my son was born, I switched to freelancing and adapted with the times, adding more marketing work to my portfolio, particularly for academic medical centers and biomedical and tech nonprofits. Whatever the topic, it’s all storytelling and I love getting to the heart of a subject and finding the compelling story inside.

I was an alumni interviewer for Cornell for about 20 years, which gave me the chance to observe the evolving world of college admissions. As my friends’ kids got older, I was asked more and more often to help with college essays. Almost a decade and dozens of students later, no other assignment I’ve ever had is as satisfying as supporting a student as they go from staring at a blank page to realizing they have a story to tell and telling it in a way that is uniquely them.

I’ve also been through the application and essay process from the parent side with my own son, who was intrigued by the idea of attending college abroad — sending us into an extra realm of research, planning, and understanding as his college application journey spanned multiple countries.

I live in Fairfield County with my husband and cat. Our son lives in Dublin, Ireland, where he is finishing a master’s degree in computer science and will be working after graduation. I keep a camera at my desk so I’m ready when birds or wild animals present themselves to be photographed. I am (very slowly) learning German, play the LinkedIn games every day, and read a lot of historical fiction.