Our Story
Meet the Westendorf Educational Consulting Team!
Meet Lauren
Lauren’s love for college admissions began at Muhlenberg College where she served on the Board of Admissions, as well as dually serving as the swing person to the Office of Financial Aid. Muhlenberg laid the groundwork for an understanding of what the process of applying to a selective, small liberal arts college is like. While on the Board of Admission at Berklee College of Music, a world leader in contemporary music education, she traveled the country, leading a team conducting auditions and interviews, looking for the music industry’s future game changers. At both institutions Lauren has evaluated thousands of applications, read countless essays and conducted evaluative interviews.
Having experienced the college admissions side at both a liberal arts institution and in a conservatory environment, Lauren has developed a unique perspective around the college admissions process.
It was at Laurel School, where Lauren’s love for higher education and developing young people came together. Here she offered direction to her students emphasizing making the best match between college and student, guiding them each step of the way. Along with one on one work, she taught seminar classes focused solely on the college process. Lauren also helped to develop new curriculum for Laurel’s Life Skills program, empowering Laurel girls to implement strategies of self-care, sharpen decision making, explore nutrition and fitness, topics on mental and emotional health, substance abuse and prevention, women’s health and public speaking. This is a curriculum Lauren implemented in the classroom starting in the upper school.
Originally from the Pocono Mountains of Northeast Pennsylvania, she now calls Northeast Ohio home. She’s the proud mother of two boys and is married to her college sweetheart.
Meet Cordelia
Cordelia’s love for the college admission process began at Bowdoin College where she had the opportunity to connect with prospective students as a head tour guide and admissions ambassador.
From there, Cordelia specialized in standardized test prep consulting. She designed and taught test prep curriculum tailored to the unique needs of her students and collaborated with schools to create testing hygiene programming for students. Cordelia works to ease the anxiety around test prep while giving students tangible skills that will serve them on the tests and beyond.
Cordelia continued to work with her test prep students on essay writing skills. She works hard to help students convey specific stories and build their skills as authors and editors of their own work. Cordelia’s work in schools as a college advisor has deepened her appreciation for the importance of a tailored approach to counseling. She specializes in helping students with all aspects of the process—from crafting a balanced, well-researched list to assisting with applications. She works to center student voice, maximize student opportunity, and manage uncertainty during the college process. She has worked with students all over the US and internationally on college applications.
Cordelia is a graduate of Laurel School and a Cleveland native. She lives in New York with her partner and rescue dog.