I Have Good News and Bad (not-so-good) News

Winter 2025

The Good News:

I’m pleased to announce several of my students have received coveted early acceptances from the colleges of their dreams—Georgetown, Northwestern, Oberlin, Tulane, and Wellesley—and I anticipate many more offers will pour in during the coming weeks. I’m so proud of these kids; they’ve demonstrated all the qualities I value most: resilience in the face of uncertainty, tenacity in pursuit of a goal, and grace under pressure.

Which brings me to the Bad not-so-good News:

There’s never a good time to go public with bad news, so I won’t pull any punches: Cliff, my beloved husband of forty-two years, was recently diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia during a routine check-up. The news came as a shock, but Cliff remains hopeful, having already embarked on the prescribed course of chemotherapy. As for me, I’m learning to keep my anxiety at bay, determined to navigate the road ahead with optimism, resilience, and grace—the very qualities I’ve worked so hard to impart to students over the years.

To ensure I don’t spread myself too thin at this critical time, I’ve made the decision to work exclusively with students who contracted to work with me annually before Cliff’s diagnosis, though if a newcomer is highly motivated, I’m willing to take on one or two students on an hourly basis. This is a much smaller number of students that I’d hoped to serve. I truly wish this weren’t the case, but I believe this decision will result in the best possible outcomes for all concerned.

Thank you for understanding; your support, your thoughts, your prayers mean the world to me.

Yours in resilience, tenacity, and grace,

College Coach Karen