Dr. Laughlin is a consultant to individuals, schools, colleges and nonprofit organizations. Former Director of College and Career Counseling and Admission at the Native American Preparatory School, she was also founding Executive Director of Southwest College Horizons, a nonprofit organization that helped increase educational opportunities for lower income students in rural New Mexico and the Southwest. Dr. Laughlin was Director of College Counseling at Albuquerque Academy and at Verde Valley School. She has also worked in the Harvard College Admission Office, conducted research for A Better Chance, and taught on the Yavapai-Apache Reservation.
Dr. Laughlin has a BA and MA in Spanish and Women's Studies. She received her Ed.M. from Harvard University in Administration, Planning and Social Policy and her doctorate from U.C. Berkeley in Educational Administration and Nonprofit Management. In both programs she focused on access to education for low-income students and financial aid policy. A contributing editor to AISES' Annual College Guide for American Indians, she was also the creator of the Earth Bridge Project, a pre-college, intercultural environmental leadership program for rural youth. In 1996 she founded College Horizons, a nonprofit pre-college summer program for gifted Native youth. In 2003, in partnership with the American Indian Graduate Center, she founded Graduate Horizons, a pre-graduate school summer program for Native American college students.
Areas of Expertise:
Financial aid and financial planning for college
Admission to highly selective colleges
College applications and essays - putting your best foot forward
Special talents in admission (athletes, artists, etc.)
Summer opportunities
Experiential and outdoor education/year-off programs
Test Preparation
Multicultural counseling and communication
Assessment of college counseling programs
Counselor training
Letters of recommendation - helping counselors and teachers
Recruitment and retention of Native American students in college
Career counseling
CLIENTS INCLUDE:
American Field Service (AFS)American Indian Science & Engineering Society (AISES)
Armand Hammer United World College
Bernalillo High School
Colorado College
Desert Academy
Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Talent Search
Grinnell College
Hispanic Student Success Program
Jemez Valley High School
La Jicarita Enterprise Community
Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific
Macalester College
National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)
National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
National Indian Education Association
Native American Prep School
New Mexico CRCM (Comprehensive Regional Center for Minorities)
New Mexico Highlands University
New Mexico Network for Women in Science and Engineering
New Mexico Tech
Santa Fe Community College
St. John's College
SIPI (Southwest Indian Polytechnic Institute)
US Forest Service/Northern New Mexico Community College
Yavapai-Apache Education Office
Phillips Academy (Andover)
Hawaii Department of Education
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