Lakeside’s professional college counseling team combines dedication to Lakeside’s students with leadership in college counseling and college admissions.

Ari Worthman, director of college counseling

Ari Worthman has 20 years in the field of college counseling and college admissions. Worthman joined Lakeside in 2012, after serving as assistant director of admissions at Haverford College and senior associate director of college counseling at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. During his time in the field, Worthman has served in a variety of leadership positions, including on the Board of Directors of the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling, as a trustee and board chair for the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools (ACCIS), and as treasurer for the Pacific Northwest Association for College Admissions Counseling. He also has served on the admissions advisory committees for Dickinson College, Drexel University, The National Merit Scholarship program, and Southern Methodist University, and is currently on the Board of Directors for the Coalition for College, an application platform used by many highly selective colleges. Worthman regularly presents at national conferences on topics ranging from counseling and communicating with millennials; working with gay and lesbian students; forging relationships with colleges; the effectiveness of standardized test prep; and the myths and realities of highly selective admissions. A graduate of Haverford College, he holds a master’s from Florida Atlantic University.

 

Erin Foster, college counselor 

Erin Foster brings deep experience in highly selective college admissions from Washington University in St. Louis (Wash U), where she previously served as assistant director of admissions. Having read thousands of applications and served on Wash U’s admissions committee and on the selection committee for the Annika Rodriguez Scholars Program, Foster offers Lakeside students and families insight into what distinguishes essays, interviews, and other application components in highly selective applicant pools. As the admissions officer who reviewed Lakeside’s applications for years, she understands firsthand how to compellingly articulate the caliber of Lakeside’s students and academic program. Foster has a bachelor’s degree from Truman State University and a master’s in public health from The University of Iowa.

 

Frances Nan, college counselor

Frances Nan’s decade in the field blends experience in highly selective admissions and college counseling. After four years in admissions at Pomona College, most recently as an assistant dean of admissions, Nan transitioned to advising and counseling young people at community-based organizations. At Asian Americans United, an organization that promotes leadership among Asian American youth, they served as Youth Programs Organizer, which included guiding students through the college process. At the Joyce Ivy Foundation, an organization dedicated to the academic advancement and leadership development of young women from the Midwest, Nan was director of college admissions workshops where they routinely led admissions and financial aid seminars for hundreds of female high school juniors and guidance counselors. At the Princeton University Preparatory Program, they advised high-achieving, low-income 12th graders through the college process and taught classes on college admissions. Additionally, Nan served as an application reader for Barnard College and Stanford University. They have a bachelor’s degree from Pomona College and a master’s in higher education from the University of Pennsylvania.

 

Bonnie Singh, college counselor & writing specialist

Bonnie Singh spent four years in the college counseling office at Westridge School in Los Angeles (of which she is also an alumna) where she supported students extensively in their college writing, including providing one-on-one feedback and leading workshops for all rising seniors. Having earned a certificate in college counseling from the University of California–Los Angeles, Singh also co-founded Singh College Counseling, a company which offered application support to students throughout the Los Angeles area. As an undergraduate at Scripps College, Singh invested significant time in teaching and coaching writing. Her repertoire included tutoring in Scripps' writing center and mentoring college-bound students from under resourced backgrounds, including coaching students on essay strategies, through Scripps College Academy. Singh brings to Lakeside considerable experience in applying to the University of California campuses, social media management, communications, and in building inclusive and antiracist communities.

 

Catharine Jacobsen, college essay specialist

Catharine Jacobsen has more than 25 years of experience in Lakeside’s college counseling office, where she has also served as interim director of college counseling. She has visited over 100 college campuses in her time in the field, served on an accreditation team for the National Association of Independent Schools, evaluated AP English Literature exams as a reader, and is currently a member of the Service Academy Nominations Board for Washington State’s 8th Congressional District. Jacobsen previously taught English at Lakeside; Groton School in Massachusetts; Phillips Andover Academy in Massachusetts; and The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. She has held several leadership positions in the Seattle community, including in the Seattle Children’s Hospital Guild Association, and as a trustee of the Seattle Shakespeare Company and Epiphany School. Jacobsen is a graduate of Dartmouth College and has a master’s in literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is the parent of two Lakeside alumni.

 

Marcia Chaddock, college counseling and summer school operations manager

Marcia Chaddock has more than 15 years of experience working with students, parents/guardians, and staff as a school counselor and teacher in independent high schools in Seattle and Honolulu.  Most recently, Chaddock coordinated the admissions process as a program manager for the University of Washington Doctor of Physical Therapy program. A graduate of Tulane University, she holds two masters degrees in education from Seattle Pacific University, in school counseling and in teaching.  An independent school graduate, she has a deep understanding and appreciation for the challenges students and families experience in a college-preparatory environment and enjoys supporting all students in their academic endeavors and personal and social growth. 

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