Carolyn Starks

College Counseling
805-684-4127
carolyn_starks@cate.org

A Southern girl through and through, Carolyn grew up in Auburn, AL and chose to follow her father’s footsteps to attend Rhodes College in Memphis, TN where she studied English and Africana Studies. During her time at Rhodes she found her passion helping young people discover themselves as well as Rhodes through the tour guide program. Carolyn followed that passion to a career in college admissions admissions.

After graduation, she moved to Portland, ME to work at Bates College where she focused on supporting historically excluded, first-generation-to-college, and/or low-income students through the admissions process. After two years, she joined Pomona College’s Office of Admissions where she became a member of the Access Team, ran the College’s diversity fly-in programs, and learned to be justice oriented in her approach to educational equity.

Carolyn moved to "the other side of the desk" to work in 2021 where she served as an associate director of college counseling at Oakwood School in North Hollywood, CA. Most recently she was co-director of college counseling at Santa Fe Preparatory School in Santa Fe, NM. In her free time, Carolyn enjoys indulging in local cuisine (she’s on the hunt for the perfect bean and cheese burrito) and watching Bravo with her husband and her dog, Ms. Pecan Pie.