Melinda Larson, Principle Consultant
Melinda Larson is the owner and founder of College Planning Success in Bellevue, Washington. She has been in the college consulting business for over 10 years and has worked as an educator for over 40 years. Before opening her educational consulting business, Melinda taught students in nearly every grade, from Kindergarten to grade 12. She has had the privilege of teaching in Oregon, Washington, Minnesota and Alaska and is honored to be one of the fortunate educators to have acquired a lifetime (K-12) teaching certificate in Washington State. Her experience teaching in both public and private schools has been an invaluable asset to her clients and made for a very natural transition to college counseling. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from Oregon State University in Science and Education. She attended the University of Washington for her graduate work in Education and received her College Counseling Certification with Distinction from UCLA.
Having always had a passion for working with students to achieve their educational as well as career goals, Melinda began working with students on their college planning process as early as 2001 when she offered to assist juniors and seniors at her children’s high school. Since 2009, Melinda has spent numerous hours volunteering for the non-profit organization, College Access Now, which provides a yearlong college planning program for low-income and first-generation students at seven Seattle area high schools. She has had the privilege of working the past six years at Franklin High School in this capacity and continues to be involved with this amazing organization. You may also find Melinda every spring answering student’s questions at the PNACAC College Fair at Seattle University.
After years of teaching, Melinda knows how to work with students of all learning styles and with various individual needs. She is well acquainted with educational requirements as well as learning differences and works diligently to guide her clients to a “best fit” college experience.
To stay well informed when it comes to current college programs and prerequisites, Melinda endeavors to visit at least 15-20 colleges and universities each year. She often exceeds 20! She also attends at least one or two professional conferences annually and maintains professional memberships in NACAC (National Association of College Admission Counselors), PNACAC (Pacific Northwest Association of College Admission Counselors), HECA (Higher Education Consultants Association) and SACC (Seattle Area College Counselors).
Lindsey Saarie, Consultant
Lindsey Saarie is a college consultant with 10 years of experience in various educational institutions and positions. During her time at the Boston Conservatory, where she earned a BFA in Theatre and Directing, she also worked as a TA in both the voice and speech department as well as the music theory department and worked in admissions, helping coordinate auditions and leading student groups on campus tours.
After her time in Boston, Lindsey returned to Seattle to begin her life in the arts. She sang, acted, danced, choreographed, directed, and worked in many other parts of the theatre world. She was also a teaching artist for many local theatre companies and schools. Eventually, she took her love of theatre and the arts to the high school level. She earned her MAEd from Pacific Lutheran University and started teaching English and Theatre at Lincoln High School in Tacoma. While at Lincoln, Lindsey helped to grow the theatre department by producing large scale Broadway shows, connecting students to artists in the community and across the country, and involving her students in celebrations of the arts such as the 5th Avenue High School Musical Awards.
In her last few years at Lincoln, Lindsey has earned her certificate in college counseling from UCLA while helping guide several cohorts of students (many undocumented and first-generation) through the college admissions process. Lindsey is passionate about helping students uncover their own unique voice; this may be their voice as a writer, a singer, a dancer, an artist, or just as a person.
In order to be at the cutting edge of college counseling, Lindsey continues to visit college campuses and attend conferences. She also maintains professional memberships in NACAC, HECA, PNACAC, and SACC.