Meet Jessica!

Jessica Nelson, College Counselor

Since unofficially beginning her higher education career as a student tour guide at Miami University (yes, the one in Ohio!), then making it official as an admissions officer at a small liberal arts college in 2006, Jessica has logged stints as an assistant director of admissions for Eckerd College, an application reader for Georgia Tech, and the director of Career Connections at Landmark College, a premier college for students who learn differently. She then moved to the counseling side of the desk and celebrated her students’ acceptances to a variety of colleges, from highly selective schools like Georgetown, George Washington, and Northeastern, to liberal arts colleges like Smith and Kenyon, to private schools like Santa Clara, Case Western, and Fordham. 

While Jessica works successfully with students representing a variety of backgrounds and interests, her experience and expertise make her a particularly good fit for students with learning differences. While at Landmark College, Jessica launched Landmark College Works, a campus employment program for students with learning differences that was recognized by the National Student Employment Association in 2017 for innovation in student employment. She has frequently been invited to speak on topics such as career readiness for college students on the autism spectrum, and she has presented professional development workshops at the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the College Inclusion Summit, and Disability Matters conferences.

Testimonials from Jessica’s Collegewise families praise her ability to make the overwhelming feel more manageable, as well as the opportunity she creates for parents to take a more hands off approach, entrusting Jessica to oversee the work in partnership with the student while leaving the parent informed as needed. Like so many of the counseling greats we’ve come to admire, Jessica is called to this work out of a sense of service and the joy found in working with students. As she describes it:

I genuinely enjoy working with teenagers. I work to build strong relationships with my students so they know I genuinely care for them and have their best interests in mind. It's such a pivotal life stage when they are figuring out who they are and want to be. To know that I can play a small role in helping them think about how to engage in the world around them is really rewarding. 

A strong proponent of community involvement with a demonstrated track record of giving back, Jessica does college planning work with her local Boys and Girls Club, sits on the board of a local girls summer camp, and coaches youth soccer. 

Education & Experience

Miami University, B.A.

University of Iowa, M.A.

Application reader, Georgia Institute of Technology 

Assistant Director of Admissions, Eckerd College 

Associate Director of Career Connections, Landmark College

Professional Organization Memberships

NACAC: National Association for College Admission Counseling