In the past, Harrington INK was the home of my writing/editing business. As a freelance writer, I worked with corporate and non-profit clients to create content suited to their message and audience. I enjoyed that work for over 20 years. I still do, from time to time. The best part was helping clients clearly identify their own message.

Now my focus is with teens.

I work with high school seniors who are preparing to apply for college. That work can include assistance with selecting colleges, filling out applications, selecting topics for and writing the personal statement essay, identifying financial aid opportunities, and talking about education in general.

The best part is still helping people clearly identify their own message. Now the message is celebrating something special about each particular student.

And there IS something special about every one of them.

It is an exciting time, and also a daunting one. The college application is loaded with expectation and hope, and there is a lot of waiting involved. My role is to help each student discover and name the awesome things inside them so they can write a compelling college essay – in their own unique voice.

For some students, college immediately follows high school. Others take a gap year for travel, extra study, work, or volunteer opportunities. In all cases, writing a personal statement essay helps the students clarify what is important to them, what they value, what their passions are.

Each one is one the brink of the next stage of their lives. It is an awesome and humbling thing to walk with them through the process.