College Counseling

List of 4 members.

• 

  Melissa Lanctot 

  Director of College Counseling and Student Success

  (206) 326-7758

  Bio

  Melissa Lanctot, Director of College Counseling started at the Bush School in the fall of 2008 after having worked for eight years in undergraduate admissions as the Senior Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at New York University and Director of the Visitors Center at Columbia University. Melissa’s work managing tour guide programs and campus events in addition to chairing admissions committees, led her to make the jump from admissions to college counseling where she has been able to dive fully into her passion for working with students. As the Director of College Counseling at Bush for the past decade-plus, Melissa has counseled over 600 Upper School juniors and seniors in addition to serving on various committees and organizations both in and outside of Bush. Melissa loves her role of launching students into life after Bush and possesses a deep commitment to both student agency and social and emotional well-being.
• 

  Rebecca Delacruz-Gunderson 

  Upper School English and College Counseling

  Bio

  Rebecca is thrilled to be back at Bush as both College Counselor and Upper School English Faculty. After working as the Coordinator of College Counseling and Student Success for the 2019-2020 school year and teaching Bush's Writing the College Essay class for two consecutive summers, she served as Field Director for T'wina Nobles' 2020 State Senate campaign, spoke at Town Hall Seattle after publishing work from a writing class for mixed race women, and began her MA in English Literature at the University of British Columbia.
  A graduate of Williams College, Rebecca studied for one year at the University of Oxford and worked briefly in Singapore— experiences that inspired her to serve diverse communities of people and eventually return to her Washington roots. Although her disparate experiences over the past four years in three countries across two continents may initially seem like a smattering of unconnected dots, they can be traced into a single constellation, bonded by her enthusiasm for connecting with students through language. Her love of words and the power that they carry is precisely what ties together her two roles so seamlessly: whether she's in the College Counseling office or in the classroom, she's always willing to discuss, write, or chat. A former collegiate runner and lifelong hiker, Rebecca is happy to be back in land of mountains, forests, lakes, and ocean, and she can be found at local bookstores and vegan restaurants on the weekend.
• 

  Michelle Naito-Lo 

  Associate Director of College Counseling and Student Success

  Bio

  Michelle joins Bush from the Cranbrook Kingswood Upper School in Michigan, where she served as an Associate Dean of College Counseling. Prior to Cranbrook, Michelle worked in Occidental College's admission office as the Senior Assistant Dean of Admission and Coordinator of International Recruitment which included spearheading DEI efforts in her final years. During her time in admission, she worked for a year in China as an admission officer embedded in InitialView's Beijing office where she conducted interviews as a way to determine English proficiency beyond a standardized exam. At both Cranbrook and Occidental, Michelle has committed herself to nurturing close relationships with students and their families and the development of her deep passion for diversity and inclusion work. She is excited to partner with students as they navigate what comes after Bush.

• Renea Harris 

  Coordinator of College Counseling and Student Success

  Bio

  Renea is a Bush alum who is excited to join the College Counseling and Student Success team this year. After graduating from Bush, Renea went on to Mount Holyoke College. For two summers during college, she taught 5^th grade literature with Breakthrough Collaborative in San Francisco and New Orleans. These experiences solidified that education was her passion. Renea then went on to work at Rainier Scholars (a program which she is also an alum of!) as the Program Assistant for Career and Leadership Development. Renea is now looking forward to building connections with the students and joining the Bush community once again.