We look forward to meeting you!
Co-Directors Hayley Burke and Carolyn Starks are excited to connect with you as we work together through the process of researching, applying to, and selecting best-fit schools. Our goal is to prioritize balance and reduce stress, ensuring that students not only get to college but also thrive once they’re there. You can read more about Hayley and Carolyn below.
HAYLEY BURKE
After graduating from Bryn Mawr as a sociology major, Hayley stayed on to pursue her Master of Social Work degree from Bryn Mawr’s Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. While at Bryn Mawr, Hayley was surrounded by extraordinary women who pushed her to become a strong advocate against social inequity and injustice. Working towards this goal, she co-founded a reading and writing group for local incarcerated women. She recommitted to this mission of making higher ed more accessible by serving as an Admission Counselor at Pitzer College in Claremont, California, for five years. Hayley loves to travel and spends much of her time subtly sending plane ticket deals from Scott’s Cheap Flights to her friends. Her dream destinations include Greece, Montana, Spain, Chile, and Mexico City. Outside of work, Hayley is an avid beach-goer and fearlessly experimental baker.
CAROLYN STARKS
A Southern girl through and through, Carolyn grew up in Auburn, AL and chose to follow her father’s footsteps to attend Rhodes College in Memphis, TN where she studied English and Africana Studies. After graduation, she moved to Portland, ME to work at Bates College where she focused on supporting historically excluded, first-generation-to-college, and/or low-income students through the admissions process. After two years, she joined Pomona College’s Office of Admissions where she became a member of the Access Team, ran the College’s diversity fly-in programs, and learned to be justice oriented in her approach to educational equity. Carolyn comes to Prep from Oakwood School in North Hollywood, CA where she served as an associate director of college counseling. In her free time, Carolyn enjoys indulging in local cuisine (she’s on the hunt for the perfect bean and cheese burrito) and watching Bravo with her husband and her dog, Ms. Pecan Pie.