About Kelly

At Stanford, Kelly was an admissions officer in the undergraduate admissions office as well as head of admissions in the Stanford Graduate School of Education. Kelly previously served as an enrollment manager at California College of the Arts, a college counselor at an independent college preparatory high school, an academic advisor at University of San Francisco, and an independent college counselor. Kelly has extensive experience in undergraduate admissions and enjoys working with students with a variety of interests and backgrounds, including the arts, social sciences, various humanities, psychology, cognitive science, education, language, business, entrepreneurship, and more. During Kelly’s career in admissions, she reviewed thousands of applications from around the world as well as the US, in all majors, as well as BFA, MFA, and joint degree programs in Education and Law, and Business and Public Policy. Kelly earned her BA in Art History and Fine Art at UC Davis and an MA in Museum Studies, Italian Studies and Photography in Florence, Italy. Kelly also has niche expertise in developing and reviewing visual art portfolios, not only for arts-focused students but also those seeking to submit optional portfolios to highlight their creativity to enhance their applications to other programs. Kelly has participated in multiple National Portfolio Day events as an admissions rep and portfolio reviewer. In addition to her undergraduate admissions experience, Kelly has also read and evaluated thousands of graduate applications as well as served as an academic advisor. At the Stanford Graduate School of Education, Kelly was a one-person operation, overseeing all aspects of graduate admissions operations, application reviews and academic advising for prospective students. Kelly reviewed 3,400+ graduate applications annually and uses that experience when guiding students in developing their graduate school narratives, research plans, strategic school lists, and crafting their personal statements to fit their specific schools of interest.