About
A writer, a teacher, and a counselor who knows how admissions actually works.
Two decades with students, first in the classroom and now one-on-one, drawing out what is real and specific in their thinking and shaping it into work admissions readers cannot look away from.
In her own words
I am Zelda Thomas. For ten years I taught high school English in the classroom, and I have coached students on their college essays in the years since, drawing out what is real and specific in their thinking and helping them shape it into something an admissions reader will want to read.
Not every student knows yet what makes them remarkable.
Before strategizing a college plan, I get to know the student: who they are, who they want to become, and what they have not yet found the words for. My work is to get students to take ownership of their own process, see themselves clearly, and write with such conviction that admissions officers cannot look away.
Credentials & classroom
I graduated from the National Cathedral School in Washington, D.C., one of the most demanding prep schools in the country. I went on to earn my B.A. from Sarah Lawrence and an M.Ed. at Teachers College, Columbia University, followed by a College Counseling certificate through the University of San Diego. I also completed a summer at Harvard and lived for stretches on the Yale and Williams campuses.
Before counseling full time, I taught high school English at The Blake School in Minneapolis and Stamford High School in Connecticut. I have built real relationships with admissions officers at colleges nationwide.
I am a member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), and the Midwest Association for College Admission Counseling (MACAC).
A parent as well as a counselor
I am the mother of three, now in it again with my own ninth grader. I know this road from the inside.
A global lens
Born in Mexico and shaped by a life lived across continents, I bring a globally minded perspective to every student I work with. After a year in Milan, I now serve families in Europe applying to American universities, American families drawn to the rich landscape of English-taught programs across Europe, and students from anywhere in the world navigating an increasingly international set of choices.
Education
BA, Sarah Lawrence College · M.Ed., Teachers College, Columbia University · College Counseling, University of San Diego
Why an independent counselor
What an independent college counselor actually does. And why the right credentials matter.
An independent college counselor works one-on-one with a family, outside the school system, with the time and focus that an overstretched high-school office cannot offer. The job is to know your student deeply, build a college list that genuinely fits, shape the academic and extracurricular path that gets them there, and guide the writing and applications from first draft to final decision.
Anyone can call themselves a college counselor. The reason to insist on an IECA, NACAC, and MACAC member is that those organizations require formal training, ongoing professional development, documented campus visits, direct relationships with admissions offices, and a strict ethical code. Membership is not handed out, it is earned, maintained, and accountable.
IECA · Independent Educational Consultants Association. NACAC · National Association for College Admission Counseling. MACAC · Midwest Association for College Admission Counseling.
I work with a limited number of students each year.