Katelyn & HER TEAM
help clients discover their best college fit while empowering students with self-appraisal, advocacy, and organizational skills all of which result in a more successful transition to college.
Comprehensive College Consulting & Admissions Insight
Meet
Katelyn Gleason Klapper
Certified Educational Planner & Founder
With more than 30 years in college admissions and counseling, Katelyn Gleason Klapper brings expertise from both sides of the admissions desk. Before founding College Options in 2004, Katelyn managed the West Coast office for Boston University’s Office of Admission and served as college counselor for 6 years at Dynamy Internship Year. A Certified Educational Planner and educator, she's visited almost 400 colleges across 42 states and Canada to help families find their best college fit.
Professional Highlights
Distinguished Instructor, UC Irvine Division of Continuing Education, Certificate in Educational Consulting
Past Chair, American Institute of Certified Educational Planners (AICEP)
Past board member of the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA)
Former Assistant Director & West Regional Representative for Boston University’s Office of Admission
Community Leadership
Peer Forward
Poudre School District (CO) College Search Volunteer (Polaris School)
Boston’s METCO program
Sudbury Education Resource Foundation/College Fair Chair (12 yrs)
FAFSA Day Massachusetts
Dynamy Youth Academy, curriculum development and advisor
“Thank you for all that you did to facilitate C’s college process. He's talked about how much you helped him with the process and with writing essays that tell his story. For me, you held me to my goal of letting him control his own process. Thank you. This was really good training for all that he will do once he's [in college].”
— Kara (parent), New Hampshire
Meet the Specialists Team
Karen Baker
Interview and Resume Specialist
Karen joined College Options in 2016 and is a seasoned career and leadership coach with over 25 years of experience in her private coaching practice. She also works with Harvard Business School coaching students along with international participants in an HBS Online leadership program.
She began her career in financial services at Fidelity Investments advancing to a Director of Staffing before co-founding Kennedy Baker Associates/Career Treking, a career coaching practice for recent college graduates. She currently works with clients from early career through senior level executives focusing on interview preparation, resume development and networking. With an encouraging and positive approach, she assists clients in identifying their strengths, motivations, obstacles, life visions and goals.
Karen believes that learning to tell your own story and articulate your value is a life skill that begins during the college process and continues throughout one’s career. She has a BA in Economics from Boston University.
Michelle Kaelin, M.Ed.
Interview & Writing Specialist
Michelle began working at College Options in 2010 as the Writing Program Director. During her first 6 years with College Options, Michelle was instrumental in the development of the unique College Options essay support approach. Michelle continues to support students as an editor and interview specialist.
Always passionate about working with teens, Michelle has taught high school English, served as an advisor with Dynamy Internship Year (Worcester, MA), and as an advisor and manager at MY TURN, Inc. (Brockton, MA). She also taught English Composition as an adjunct faculty member at Becker College and worked as a youth consultant at the Worcester Center for Crafts. She is a self-employed freelancer and self-identified grammar geek. Michelle has worked on a variety of projects, including copyediting clients’ self-published novels, ghostwriting blogposts, and serving as copyeditor and contributing writer for a local online magazine. Michelle graduated from Holy Cross College with a BA in English and earned her M.Ed. from Tufts University.
The College Options Network
To ensure every family receives dedicated attention, Katelyn maintains a selective practice and works with a limited number of students each year. When her practice reaches capacity, she collaborates with her College Options Network—a carefully vetted group of independent educational planners who share her commitment to personalized guidance and ethical college consulting. Each network member operates independently while upholding the high standards and student-centered approach that families have come to expect from College Options.
Catie Costello, M.Ed., M.A.T
College Options Founding Network Member
Catie has 40 years of experience in a breadth of educational settings that include elementary, corporate, and higher education. Her career began as an Admissions Officer, representing Vanderbilt University, and then Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University. Catie taught in the Sudbury Public Schools for 16 years, and joined the College Options team in 2014. After 9 years as a College Options associate, Catie remains a Network member as she nears her retirement.
Catie values her panoramic perspective of the educational experience as she counsels her clients’ transition into young adulthood, and as a lover of travel, has visited more than 150 college campuses. Catie earned her M.Ed. in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from Harvard University, a Masters in Early Childhood Education from Cambridge College, and a BA from Vanderbilt University.
Lori McGlone, M.Ed., MA
College Options Founding Network Member
Lori has been supporting families through the college search and application process for 20 years. Her focus is getting to know each family's priorities, values and dreams in order to make the process efficient and enjoyable. Choosing a college is often the first major life decision a person makes, so navigating each step thoughtfully can create a blueprint for future decisions. This process can also be a special time for parents to walk alongside their teenager instead of leading the way; families often find that by working with a college consultant, the experience is more harmonious and the end result is a stronger fit than if they tried to manage it alone.
Lori is committed to staying current on admissions and financial aid trends through professional development, and she regularly visits college campuses to best understand what makes each college a fit for her students. Lori has also worked as a high school counselor and English teacher; these experiences help her support her students as they find their voice through writing and she can advise families on how to best utilize the limited yet valuable school supports.
Lori earned her MA in School Counseling from The College of New Jersey, her M.Ed in Secondary English from UC Santa Barbara, and her BA in Literature from UCLA.
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