About Stephanie

Stephanie Aikins is a Smart College Selection Consultant.

Stephanie began her career as a college admissions officer for Franklin College where she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and developed a deep understanding of what admissions officers are looking for in applicants. This experience provides a unique perspective that enables her to provide targeted advice on crafting compelling applications, essays, and resumes. Stephanie also enjoyed teaching a transition-to-college course to first-year students at Franklin College. While in graduate school, Stephanie served as a residence hall director to 500+ college freshmen at Western Michigan University. Through these experiences, Stephanie witnessed and guided students through the varied challenges faced in the first year of college. This informs her work as she guides students in discerning college environments where they will thrive.

For the following 15 years, Stephanie worked as a guidance counselor and a college counselor in public and private high schools, most recently at the International School of Indiana. She joined Smart College Selection three years ago to make an even greater impact on the success of her students.

Stephanie’s training as a counselor is invaluable in her work with students and parents. She is aware of the pressures students manage throughout the process and is happy to offer resources and guidance to help families navigate the experience in a healthy manner. She has always enjoyed helping students explore how they might use their talents to make an impact and particularly appreciates time helping students identify potential college majors and careers.

Stephanie has a M.S. in Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology from Western Michigan University and a B.S. in Business Administration/Marketing from Valparaiso University. She is board certified as a National Certified Counselor through the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) and is licensed in the state of Indiana as a school counselor. She is a member of the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), the Indiana Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC) and the National Association for College Counseling (NACAC) and enjoys attending professional conferences and training events through these associations.

When Stephanie is not working with students, she tries her best to keep up with her husband and three children. This happy chaos resides in north Indianapolis. She loves to cook, try new restaurants, listen to all varieties of music, and travel. Stephanie’s students are consistently inspiring her to try new things, which she loves about them.

“I want to take a moment to express how thankful I am for your amazing guidance and support throughout my college app journey. Now that I've completed my first year at UCSB, I can confidently say that I ended up perfectly in the right place, and I really have to thank you for this! UCSB is the perfect place for me to grow intellectually, personally, and socially, and I can't thank you enough for helping me discover it. Your impact on my life and educational journey is immeasurable, and I will always be grateful.”