Kelly Thomas

An exceptionally talented writer, essay coach, and student instructor, Kelly Thomas is an essential part of the successful delivery of our services. She is also the first contact for parents and students for orientation and onboarding – building their relationships with us.

Along with a writing MFA degree from UC Davis, Kelly has more than 10 years of teaching experience both in and outside of traditional classrooms, including teaching middle- and high school-level conversational English in France. She has taught writing to English language learners for Putney Student Travel, designed and ran undergraduate level creative writing workshops at UC Davis, and coached high school students in Portland, Oregon as the school’s College Application Mentor.

Initially, Kelly helps parents decide on their path with Colledge. She invests time in getting to know families and the needs of their children, then helps in the construct of the personalized Colledge team shaped around each student.

As a Colledge team member, Kelly helps students develop their voices, build their stories, and express their best selves in their essays. Kelly employs active listening, picking up on nuanced qualities and personality traits that students might not see in themselves. She leads our Essay BOOTCAMPS, ensuring students get their essays out. She helps them with the “down draft,” so they can then lift it up with clear, concise, and compelling storytelling with the polish very much appreciated by college admissions readers.

Kelly embodies the Colledge commitment and style with a calm, professional, and caring quality that invites students in and reduces stress about the college admissions process. Empathy, empowerment, and esteem-building are hallmarks of her delivery in helping students with timelines and deadlines, so they’ll see where they’re going, how they’re going to get there, and what their responsibilities are in making it happen.