Achievable Awards 2026: An interview with Rebecca Stuart-Orlowski

Each year, the Achievable Awards recognize educators who are making a meaningful impact in their fields, from independent tutoring to admissions counseling and classroom teaching. We’re excited to spotlight Rebecca Stuart-Orlwoski as our Best Independent Counselor for 2026.

As the founder of Orlowski Consulting, she has built a respected advising practice that guides students in discovering their strengths, developing compelling applications, and navigating today’s ever-changing admissions landscape. Drawing on extensive experience in education and academic advising, Rebecca offers a deeply personalized approach, meeting students where they are and helping them shape clear, authentic stories.


What does “excellence in education” mean to you?

To me, excellence in education means finding the educational path that’s best for each individual student. As a 25-year veteran homeschooler, one of my goals was to find the best materials, modalities, and methods for each of my children. They were all very different learners, and the flexibility homeschooling afforded them enabled me to meet their unique needs and thus, thrive.

What motivated you to enter academic counseling?

With a background in both special education and homeschooling - both of which really focused on individualized support - it seemed a natural transition to move into academic counseling, where I could help students by meeting them where they are, helping them grow academically and personally, and guiding them successfully in the college search and application process.

What areas do you specialize in, and how do you approach your work with your students?

My areas of specialty include profoundly gifted students, homeschooled students, transfer students, twice-exceptional students with a focus on students with mental or physical health-related issues, and performing artists. To get to know my students, I use a lot of curriculum, including an intake form, career inventories, college inventories, and conversations. This helps me advise them on activities, courses, and colleges. I also help students learn to express themselves through their extracurriculars, their resumes, their arts supplements, and, of course, their essays. I focus on the three C's: context, character, and communication.

Who or what made the biggest impact on you during your educational and professional journey?

Honestly, if I think of one person in my current career as an independent educational consultant, it would have to be my professor/mentor/colleague, Steven Mercer, who taught the courses in my UCSD college counseling certificate program. He expressed a belief in me, my abilities, and my experience, and helped me overcome imposter syndrome and self-doubt.

What techniques or strategies have you found work best in admissions counseling? What’s worked to help keep students engaged and motivated?

I would say the biggest strategy I bring to the table, and it's one that I used in my years as a special ed teacher, is the ability to be flexible. Some students are very independent. I give them a to-do list, and they get to it and get it done. Other students are sort of frozen and need me to walk with them step by step through every process. I think giving students encouragement, positive feedback, and helping them learn to express themselves more clearly helps them stay engaged. They want to be successful, and oftentimes it's a lot easier to hear it from someone else other than a parent.

How do you respond when a student says, “I’m just not a good writer,” and how do you help them gain confidence in their skills?

If a student expresses doubt in their abilities as a writer, we will often use a technique from the homeschooling world, a la Charlotte Mason, called narration or dictation. We will just have a conversation, and either I will take notes or record it. After the conversation is over, we'll look at the amazing content that was produced in that conversation, and the student can more clearly see that their ideas are valuable, interesting, and important. They can then take that and begin to write their essays. I also remind students that a lot of things are hard at first, but as we go along, writing essays gets easier; they soon discover that it’s true!

I also have various curricula for helping students brainstorm essays. This year, I've added a new essay flowchart. I already showed it to one of my students, who got really excited and said, “That's for me!” I decided to have a double-pronged approach to make sure that I fully engage the broad spectrum of students on my class of 2027 roster.

What makes you different from other counselors?

I would say that my unique background and experiences set me apart, and really mesh with the families who hire me. It’s not surprising that my business is run almost entirely on referrals. As a 25-year veteran homeschooler, about ⅓ of my practice is homeschooled students. My special ed background and the fact that I'm the parent of an adult disabled child help me when I'm working with 2E students and families navigating accommodations in high school and college. I’m also the parent of two profoundly gifted (PG) children, and I work with a lot of PG kids. Further, I have a lot of experience with the performing arts, as a former professional dancer and raising two semi-professional musicians. Finally, because of my own meandering college journey and that of one of my children, families understand that I have a heart for students on non-traditional paths. I firmly believe there is always a way forward, and I think families who hire me recognize that.

How important is developing a strong personal narrative in college and graduate school admissions?

While I don't work in the graduate school admissions field, I have worked with three or four grad students. I most recently worked with a student applying to medical schools, and his personal narrative and medical experience were critical to his successful results. I had worked with him in undergraduate admissions, and he insisted on working with me since I knew him so well. We were both very happy with his results, and they came from his ability to tell his story of his passion for the medical field.

The same is true with students applying to colleges from high school. There are so many ways to approach the personal narrative! I think the key is helping students understand their values, attributes, and unique contributions, so that they can weave those into their personal stories, helping colleges visualize how that student will fit and thrive on their campuses.

Academic admissions are ever-changing. What’s one piece of advice you’d give students navigating the process today?

Honestly, I probably sound like a broken record, but the biggest piece of advice I give is “Manage your expectations”. I even wrote an article about it that I require everyone to read before signing up for services. Because of the ever-changing, unpredictable landscape of college admissions and the increasing selectivity of the top 50+ schools, parents and students have to be able to manage expectations when it comes to college admissions results. By listening to your counselor and building wise, succinct, balanced college lists, students will almost certainly have good choices.


You can learn more about Rebecca and her work at Orlowski College Consulting, LLC.