Counselor Profile
Mari specializes in students seeking admission to highly selective schools, STEM programs, and international students.
Mari is a former Assistant Director of Admissions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and has extensive experience reviewing domestic and international applications and determining what it takes to be admitted to one of the country’s most selective universities.
Mari earned a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree with a concentration in fine arts from Harvard University Extension School. Growing up, Mari loved building with Legos, sewing clothes for her stuffed animals, and drafting elaborate to-scale blueprints for imaginary mansions. Back then no one noticed that these pursuits were signs of a budding engineer, so Mari always thought of herself as a humanities person. When Mari began working at MIT, she immediately felt at home in that bastion of STEM education.
At MIT, Mari enjoyed advocating for those highly creative, hands-on, visionary applicants who were a strong match for the university. She prided herself on reading applications deeply and seeing an applicant’s potential beyond the scores, grades, and accolades. Now working the other side of the table, Mari derives tremendous satisfaction from helping students identify and nurture their unique talents and passions, flipping their focus from the college admissions race to the pursuit of personal growth and fulfillment.
While at MIT, in addition to reading applications and sitting on the selection committee, Mari was a member of the communications team, participating in the visioning and production process of admissions office web and print publications. She brings this knowledge of messaging and presentation to her work with IvyWise clients, ensuring that students put their best foot forward in their college applications.
When she’s not working with students, Mari enjoys spending time with her husband and two young sons. In her free time, she loves reading novels, watching PBS documentaries, doing home DIY projects, and volunteering for her church.