Lauran Williamson

Founder & College Counselor

Lauran Williamson is a trained school counselor committed to helping public school students have a meaningful, personalized college admissions process.

Lauran specializes in working with high school student-athletes considering a college experience that balances competitive athletics with rigorous academics.

Resume HighLights

• Carleton College - B.A., Psychology and Division III Swimmer

• Harvard Graduate School of Education - M.Ed., Certificate of Advanced Study

• Coached a Division I Harvard Women’s Swimming and Diving Team to a second place finish at the ECAC conference.

• Holds a current Colorado Department of Education School Counseling Licensure.

• Earned a "Distinguished" rating as a School Counselor at East High School in Denver Public Schools (2010-2016).

• Past Delegate on the Board of the Rocky Mountain Association for College Admission Counseling (2015-2018).

Full Bio

A native of New Jersey, I traveled across the country to study psychology and pursue a collegiate swimming career at Carleton College (Northfield, MN).  After graduating Magna Cum Laude, I spent two years working as a residential life counselor at Culver Academies, a private boarding school in Indiana.  I loved my daily interactions with students but wanted a more concrete framework from which to guide them so I ventured off to the Harvard Graduate School of Education with the support of the Leadership in Education Award (a merit scholarship for candidates with strong leadership potential).

At Harvard, I earned a Master's degree in Education and an Advanced Certificate in School Counseling while completing my School Counseling Licensure.  During my time at Harvard, a school counseling internship at Malden High School and a volunteer, assistant coaching position for the Harvard Women’s Swim Team led me to discover a passion for college planning and recruiting.  I knew I was prepared to pursue a career in college counseling with a unique lens as I had built competency in career and postsecondary development and also the counseling skills necessary to help students navigate the emotion inherent in the college admissions process.

Following graduate school, I took a school counseling position at East High School (Denver Public Schools) in Denver, Colorado.  With a caseload as large as 500+, I worked to provide impactful academic, social-emotional, and post-secondary planning to my students.  For six and half years, I supported students at East by building post-secondary programs and curriculum like Naviance Nights, Selective College Nights, and Individual Career and Academic Plans (ICAPs).  I built and annually ran a week-long, summer College Camp that assisted 30 first-generation, rising-seniors in building their college lists and preparing for their senior years.  Further, I trained and supervised a group of volunteers who discussed “Life After East” with students to get them thinking about college proactively.  I also organized over 200 college representative visits to East to help the students (and myself) be exposed to a variety of colleges.  I continue to support Denver Public Schools and East High School by volunteering with DPS Application Days and College List Building Workshops.

Because of my work as a school counselor, I was elected to the Rocky Mountain Association of College Admission Counseling (RMACAC) Board as a Delegate.  In that role, I was the sole representative for all school counselors and students in Colorado at the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s (NACAC) National Assembly.  Through this leadership experience, I developed relationships with admission counselors from across the country and became well versed in the Statement of Principles of Good Practice (SPGP), a guide of ethical college admission practices.  Now, I remain an active RMACAC member.

Since starting my practice in 2017, I’ve furthered my own professional development as an active participant in Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA) and College Consultants of Colorado (CCC). I’ve even presented on best practices for supporting a student-athlete through the recruiting process at the HECA annual conference. And, for CCC, I assumed a board member position and the position of New Member Chair in June of 2022. Through such endeavors, I actively ensure my knowledge is at the forefront of the field.

As Founder and College College Counselor at Williamson College Prep, LLC, I get to focus on my passion: helping students locate and pursue colleges that will provide them with the best academic, social, (athletic,) and financial fits.  To my core, I believe that relationships matter; every student I have ever worked with has had an impact on me.  If given the opportunity to work with you, I will soon be referring to you as “MY student.”  I take that responsibility very seriously; after all, you are trusting me with your future!

Molly Culhane is a recent college graduate and a writing enthusiast who is excited to bring her extensive editing experience to Williamson College Prep.

Resume Highlights

• Stanford University - B.A., History (Public History/Public Service)

• Beyers Prize for Excellence in Historical Writing

• Former Writing Tutor at Stanford University’s Hume Center for Writing and Speaking

Short Bio

As a peer writing tutor at Stanford University’s Hume Center for Writing and Speaking, Molly worked with dozens of students each year to hone their academic, personal, and creative writing skills; as an editor of Stanford’s award-winning undergraduate history journal, she supported students through a rigorous revision process to prepare their writing for publication. Molly believes in a collaborative editing model that centers the student rather than the piece and emphasizes the student’s unique voice. She is very happy to be working with Lauran to help students craft essays that are as meaningful, unique, and polished as possible.