Dan is someone who struck me as a person particularly concerned for both the well-being and success of her students. It’s rare that someone can simultaneously be oriented toward achievement and the end of a positive result, but also not lose sight of what the process means to the student, which is who Dan is. She is an incredibly warm person; her care came from a position of understanding and genuine mentorship rather than out of necessity.

Beyond this, she is meticulous in her work, intent on leaving no detail unexamined when it comes to her students’ potential. In advising me, she had a talent that the other counselors I worked with before her didn’t: keen insight into how someone’s interests and background could be weaved into a coherent, focused narrative.

Today, I consider her a friend, someone whom I can count on to go to for support even though our formal counseling relationship ended once I got into my dream school. Not only was I admitted to my top college, but many top schools in the country. Dan is a gem that would be a valuable asset to any program, but especially one that requires true care and understanding.