Saturday, October 17 | 8 am-2 pm
Andover/North Andover YMCA
Rising high school seniors, get a head start on college applications with our College Readiness Bootcamp! This course, led by experienced teachers and school counselors, will help you write your college essay and prepare your Common Application.
What can students expect?
- Understand the purpose of the college essay
- Brainstorm and draft a college essay
- Be introduced to the components of the Common Application
- Fill out the Common Application
Students will likely need to finalize their college essays and Common Applications on their own after the completion of the course.
Cost: $325 per student
Financial assistance is available. Learn more and apply here.
College Readiness Instructors
Megan Pinksten is a seasoned counselor and admissions expert with 20 years of experience as a high school counselor. She currently serves as the Director of Counseling and Postsecondary Planning at North Andover High School, where she leads comprehensive student support systems and strategic college readiness initiatives.
Megan holds a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in School Counseling from Boston University and a specialized Certificate in College Counseling from UCLA. By combining deep developmental expertise with advanced, up-to-date insights into the modern admissions landscape, she excels at helping students and families navigate the complexities of the high school postsecondary journey. In this course, Megan draws on her passion, wealth of practical experience, and top-tier strategic tools in order to support students’ college planning.
Keri Caffrey-Zwinggi holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and a Master’s degree in Secondary Education, English from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. She also earned her CAGS in Administration from Salem State University. Certified as both a language arts teacher as well as an administrator, she currently teaches at North Andover Middle School. Prior to teaching at NAMS, Keri taught high school English and served as the facilitator for the English Department at North Andover High School.
Additionally, Keri has taught graduate-level, in-service classes for teachers in the North Andover School District, and she has mentored a number of student teachers from the Merrimack College Fellowship Program. For twelve years, through the College Readiness Course, Keri has worked with students on the college essay portion of the common application. The unique process that Keri and Mary Gregoire have developed helps students brainstorm, write and edit their essays and ensures that students develop college essays that show their character, develop their voice and set them apart from other applicants.
Mary Gregoire, who possesses a BA in English from Merrimack College and an MA in English from Salem State University, was an educator in the North Andover Public Schools for thirty eight years serving as a teacher of English, Department Chairperson and K-12 Curriculum Coordinator for Humanities. In addition, she served as co-chair of the steering committee for the NEASC accreditation, worked as a mentor teacher for fourteen years, and served as a student teacher advisor for students from the Merrimack College Fellowship, Merrimack College Undergraduate Program, Salem State College, and Boston University. She taught in-service graduate credit courses for the North Andover Public School system, and Public Speaking and college writing at North Shore Community College for 9 years.
Mary is presently teaching SAT Prep and College Readiness Classes in North Andover and has done so for 12 years. The unique process that Mary and Keri Caffrey-Zwinggi have developed helps students brainstorm, write and edit their essays and ensures that students develop college essays that show their character, develop their voice and set them apart from other applicants.
