Hi! My name is Katherine O'Brien and I am a certified college planning specialist. Even though I have credentials and years of experience, I am a mom first. My own experience as a teen coupled with my experience talking with other moms at homeschool park days ignited my passion to provide resources, tools, and guidance to college bound teens and their parents on the often changing and frequently confusing college admissions, financial aid, and scholarship processes.

With six children, I am still raising one while supporting others who are in college or beginning their adult lives. We've celebrated college acceptance and scholarship offer letters and worked our way through the various moments of stress, tears, and fear that came up.

I've been where you are (and am still there with my youngest who's in the Class of 2023!), so I truly understand. This is NOT an easy process. As a college planner, I had a well laid out high school and college prep plan for each of my kids. They took AP and dual enrollment classes, had great resumes, and started early. I could not have predicted becoming a single mom when the oldest was about to launch. It became critically important that they not only get accepted into the colleges of their dreams, but to also maximize need based aid and scholarships in order to keep the net price within our significantly reduced college budget. Flexibility was also essential, as we all worked our way through many challenges.

Even though this was a difficult event in our lives, it was from this crisis, coupled with my experiences with many students across the country with quite diverse interests, that I developed my College Success Program and the various strategies and expertise I use to help teens get into the colleges of their dreams and win generous scholarships.

As a Catholic who has been through many difficulties, I know that Jesus sustains my life. I am currently working toward a doctorate in Catholic theology so continue to face the challenges all students face. My faith is vital to my life and teaches me that every single person is created in the image and likeness of God, no matter whether they believe in God or not. I work with teens from the perspective that each one is a treasure with a great deal to offer. I support the faith I find in people, but do not push my faith on anyone.

I love what I do. Helping teens identify their strengths, define their hopes and dreams, and start along the path to realizing them - all while growing in their faith and in the virtues essential to being the best versions of themselves is my mission. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to partner with parents all across the US during their teens' journeys to college.