Family Testimonials
“Tori is excellent at building rapport with teenagers and parents. Her high-people touch, her quiet intelligence, her empathy, her true caring, her professionalism, her competence, her proactiveness, her wise counsel – all helped our daughter and us a great deal. She just made our experience easy, enjoyable, and rewarding. Our daughter adores her.”
“Early on in our family‘s work with Tori, she explained something unexpected above the college application process. It was a message the parents and student had all heard, but never fully internalized. Once we all grasped, really understood, that the job was for the student to present a genuine version of themselves, as opposed to putting their best foot forward, the process became easier and more fulfilling. Tori had expertise on the schools, their policies, and all the normal stuff, but this “reset” was where Tori added a lot of value. Our daughter ended up getting into the school she wanted, which was obviously a great fit, and is thriving beyond expectation.”
“Tori was a great mentor not only to our son but to our family during these very critical years of high school and a very challenging and competitive college process. She was always well balanced in her approach with him - encouraging and pushing him to be his best but always with the right demonstration with empathy and care.
We felt supported by someone who really cared about our son’s development and growth.”
“I just wanted to thank you one last time for everything you’ve done with me. While these past three years were stressful, I’m certain they would have been ten times worse without you. When things got hard and I started feeling alone in this crazy process, I knew I could always turn to you for help. And I will never forget that it was you who told me to apply to Stanford. You truly influenced my whole life for the better. Thank you.”
“We knew quickly that we were in good hands with Tori. We needed a college counselor to not only coach us through the process, but also to help our daughter identify the school that was the right fit. Tori was invested in understanding our entire family, and brought ideas to the table that we wouldn’t have thought of on our own. We couldn’t be happier with the results.”
“There are not enough words to thank you for all the support and guidance you have given our boys. Through our youngest son’s ups and downs the first thing he would say was ‘Tori will guide me.’ You are very special as you balance guiding them and having them make their decisions as opposed to ‘telling them what to do.’ I recall when he shared your advice about changing his application from Ross to LSA, you asked him, ‘Would that be authentic to you? Is that what you really want?’ He told me, ‘Tori understands me in ways that no one else does and gives me guidance that is 1000% correct and me!’ We feel like you were our family’s guiding star, and let’s not forget the amazing therapy and words you provided me during those days of high stress. You always reminded me our sons would end up at the right place, and they did. You will have a very special place in our family forever. You made a difference, you made us smile, and you inspired my boys to be their best.”
“Our son just called me to tell me that he finally told you the fantastic news! Wharton!!
We cannot thank you enough for all your support and for truly seeing all the things that make our son special.”
“I am truly grateful. You created a space where I felt valued, heard, and empowered. Your belief in me instilled a strong sense of self-belief and determination, which I will carry with me always.”
“We are profoundly grateful for Tori’s extraordinary guidance, insight, warmth, and care throughout what can only be described as the overwhelmingly stressful college admissions process. She takes the time to truly know each student in a way that feels rare and deeply meaningful, and thoughtfully tailors her approach to be personal, supportive, and intentional at every step. She has worked with two of our (very different) children so far. One a free-spirited creative pursuing film and musical theater, the other a high-achieving athlete targeting Economics at top schools. She brought out the very best in each of them and helped each one present their strongest, most authentic selves. Both were accepted to (and chose to attend) schools that Tori identified early on as excellent fits. We already know her calm presence, clarity, and exceptional insight will be an invaluable support for our third child when the time comes.”
“I really lucked out getting you as a counselor. You have been wonderfully supportive of all my decisions, from the big risk I took applying early to Harvard to small decisions like how to phrase emails to sociology professors. You got to know and understand me as a student, friend, and daughter very quickly, and you did so by getting to know my family. Positive advisors aren’t hard to come by, but ones like you whose unwavering support never came at the cost of being realistic are rare. Thank you for all you have done, currently do, and continue to do.”
“We first met in 10th grade, and I was especially afraid that I'd overwhelm you with my fear of the college process. But you made those fears dissipate instantly. Your lively energy, bright face, wonderful style and emotion, and most of all, your willingness to become someone I could trust. All of these qualities (and obviously more) are why you are so well loved. I don't even know how it started, but you became a beacon that I could come to. You took the time to meet with me consistently to flesh out my college supplements and fix my college essay. You listened to my struggles both outside of school and inside of school and never made me feel less than, in fact you only ever uplifted me! You took the time to get to know my interests, to joke with me about the world we live in, to entertain my humor, and encourage my confidence. As POC at Avenues and in America, it felt so comforting to be able to recognize the ways this college process doesn't exactly benefit us with your quips and understanding. But despite all that, you really made me believe that there was nothing that I couldn't do, and you were extremely correct.”
“Our sincere thanks for the time, care, and guidance you gave our son, and for the partnership you offered our family throughout the process. Your faith in his potential, wise recommendations, and constant encouragement meant more to us than we can express.”
“Thank you for being such an incredible and supportive figure to me throughout these past two years. You are never not smiling and meeting with you always makes things better. I am so appreciative of everything you have done for me and I am floating on a cloud thinking about heading to Duke in the fall, which has always been my dream school. I honestly look up to you and cannot express in words how much your help has meant to me.”
“Thank you for helping me achieve my goals and dreams. You are the GOAT for real. Thank you for pushing me to do my best; I would not have succeeded without you. I have never left a meeting with you without a smile on my face. Thank you for supporting me through this difficult and transformative experience. I am super duper excited about Middlebury and the next parts of my journey. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
“Thank you so much for everything that you’ve done for me during one of the most stressful periods of my life. I can say with absolute confidence that you are the best counselor. You helped me strategize, find my written voice, and always kept my parents laughing when they were stressed. Beyond being my counselor you are also the nicest, most sunshine-y person I have ever met. I could not have asked for a better mentor.”