ABOUT US

Sally O’Rourke is a counselor and former director of college counseling with over 20 years of experience working with high school students in a variety of settings. She graduated from Tufts University with a double major in History and Religion and completed her M.A. in Education (Counseling) at the Catholic University of America.  

An active college counseling leader with experience in boarding/day independent, Catholic, and public schools; in college admissions; in leadership on the board of regional associations; and as a panel leader at NACAC, ACCIS and TABS, Sally has presented on such topics as “Got Talent? The Role of Art, Theater and Music Submissions in the Admission Process”, “The Sophomore Year: Now That I Know Who I Am, What Can I Be?”, and “The Evolving Relationship between High School Counselors and College/University Admission Counselors.” She has served on Juniata College’s Enrollment Advisory Team. She sets time aside each year to visit colleges and universities and for professional development opportunities. Most recently, Sally was an admission reader for Bucknell University for the 2019-2020 admission cycle and at the same time works at Marks Education as director of school programs and outreach in the tutoring division. Previously, she served as director of college counseling at Mercersburg Academy in Mercersburg, PA, where she transformed the college counseling program into a highly individualized, developmental model which included assigning college counselors to every student beginning in ninth grade. 

Prior to Mercersburg, she worked at Andover High School in Andover, MA, where she was a college counselor, AP coordinator, and team leader for the college advising program. Concurrent with her duties at Andover High, Sally also served as an admissions application reader at Northeastern University in Boston and as a college counselor at Campus Bound in Lexington, MA. Her career spans a variety of educational institutions. In secondary education, she has also served as the director of guidance and college counseling at Our Lady of Nazareth Academy in Wakefield, MA (1998–2000) and a college/guidance counselor at McLean High School in McLean, VA (1994–1996). 

From 2007 to 2009, Sally was the resident director for grades 9–12 an A Better Chance community school, a non-profit organization that gives talented youth of color the opportunity to achieve their dreams through education. She began her career in education in 1993 as a summer counselor in the Upward Bound program at Keene State College in Keene, NH, a college preparatory program funded by the U.S. Department of Education which prepares students for a rigorous high school curriculum and counsels them through the college search and application process.

From January 1994 through May 1996, Sally played in the pit orchestra and served as music director at Georgetown Preparatory School, North Bethesda, MD for musical productions of 1776, The Pirates of Penzance, Carousel, Mack and Mabel, Into the Woods, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Sally and her husband, Brian, have three children. When not counseling students, Sally is a passionate Broadway musical fan, loves family game nights, enjoys sailing, and is always interested in finding new take-out to try.