OUR TEAM
Never stop learning: it’s an adage Michelle Kidwell fully subscribes to, and in today’s world of pervasive information the saying becomes a tangible reality. Learning how to use the abundance of information to achieve one’s goals is the focus of Michelle’s work with her students.
The college planning process need not be stress-inducing. By introducing planning strategies for high school academics and activities, standardized tests, and career and college research that align with a student’s personal values and goals, Michelle is able to help her students to discover themselves and make empowered decisions. Through in-depth one-on-one consulting, Michelle gets to know her students and helps families create a customized plan for college success.
In 2007, Michelle began helping high school students achieve their higher education goals as a parent. Initially, she succeeded in guiding her three children through college with full merit-based scholarships, and then offered her knowledge and experience to friends and neighbors searching for practical college planning advice. In 2014, she became an advisor for a local non-profit organization whose mission was to increase the college-going rate of first generation college-bound and underrepresented students, and formally began mentoring students outside of her personal network reach. Michelle has successfully guided students in admission to programs of study at a variety of colleges, ranging from community college to top-tier selective public and private universities to military academies. In 2017, Michelle co-founded Chesapeake CollegePlan LLC with a former non-profit colleague to continue to provide the valuable service to local students and families.
Michelle has a BS from Salisbury University and MA in Teaching from Notre Dame of Maryland University. In 2017, Michelle earned the National College Access Network (NCAN) Certified Advisor designation by completing sixteen units in college access counseling and was approved for membership in the Independent Educational Consultant Association (IECA) which sets the standard for the profession of independent educational consulting.
Michelle has been married to her husband, Brad, since 1986. After raising their three children while relocating across the country during Brad’s 20-year career as a US Coast Guard Officer, they settled in Calvert County, Maryland. The empty nesters moved there in 2013 after re-purchasing a property on the Patuxent River that had been in Brad’s family for fifty years.
For information about Michelle's private consulting services, please contact her at 410-271-8940 or collegeplan.mk@gmail.com
Denison University President, Adam Weinberg
discussing his appreciation for IECA members
