Walsingham Hires New College Counselor

By Amber Lester Kennedy Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Kristina Herbst will serve as Director of College Counseling.

The Upper School has hired Kristina Herbst as its new Director of College Counseling. She will help students prepare for college, guide them through the application process and help them select a school that seems like the best fit.

Herbst, a New York City native, comes to Walsingham with more than 15 years of experience in college and guidance counseling. She has previously served as Director of College Counseling at a private school for gifted education in Florida. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in speech communications and advertising from Florida State University and a master of education in counselor education from West Chester University.

“Ultimately college counseling requires a willingness to see and appreciate the potential of all students, no matter where they may eventually matriculate,” Herbst said. “It is a commitment made by the counselor to provide the best guidance possible in helping a student decide where they should spend the next four years of their life. It is a commitment I take very seriously.” She said helping students realize their college dreams is the reason she became a counselor.

Walsingham President Sister Mary Jeanne Oesterle said she had the “utmost confidence” Herbst will continue to build on the school’s tradition of excellence. She said the 56 graduates in the Class of 2011 receive more than $2.8 million in scholarships and awards and were accepted to more than 167 colleges and universities.

Herbst recently relocated to Williamsburg from southwest Virginia. Her husband, Dale, is a doctoral candidate at Virginia Tech. They have two sons, Daniel, a 2010 graduate of Brown University, and Kevin, a sophomore at the University of Richmond.