College Counseling

Advice and Advocacy from College Counseling Professionals

Providing Tabor students and families with the support necessary to make informed, intentional decisions is the goal of the College Counseling Office. In addition to being college counselors with 85 years of combined experience, we are dorm parents, coaches, program directors, and advisors who attend our counselees’ plays, athletic events, and musical presentations. We know our students well. As a result, we are able to represent and advocate for students in the best possible ways.

What We Offer

Student Services:

First year students: 4-year plan
Free Diagnostic Standardized Testing
2 College Mini-Fairs each fall
Free online test prep
ACT and SAT Test Site
Essay writing workshops
Mock interviews with college reps
Individual and class meetings
Seminars
100+ college rep visits annually

Family Services:

Virtual and in-person seminars (including at Family Weekends)
Kick-Off Weekend with college admission reps
Naviance Software (info on all colleges)
Helpful parent portal
Regular e-mail communication
Individual counseling
One-on-one free financial consulting
Highly experienced staff

Lauren Boucher

Co-Director of College Counseling

Email | 508.291.8375

Transplanted from NH’s White Mountains, Lauren began teaching English at Tabor in 2011 after having worked at schools in Vermont, New Hampshire, Tennessee, and at nearby Friends Academy in Dartmouth. Working as a college counselor since 2013, Lauren is a member of the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools, the National Association of College Admission Counselors, and the Boston Independent School College Counselors Association. In addition to her work in the college office, Lauren coordinates Tabor’s community service program. Her son, Caleb, graduated from Tabor in 2009. Lauren resides in Baxter House with her loving rescue dog, Cora. She holds a B.A. from Saint Michael’s College in Vermont and an M.S.T. from the University of New Hampshire.

JJ Reydel

College Counselor

Email | 508.291.8374

JJ Reydel joined the Tabor faculty in 1999 after teaching at the Wheeler School and Montclair-Kimberley Academy. He graduated from Amherst College with a bachelor's degree in history and later earned his master’s degree in education at Harvard University. At Tabor, he teaches two sections of Advanced US History and coaches boys’ junior varsity hockey and baseball. His wife, Anne Gardiner, is the Chair of the History Department and his son, Jackson, is a member of the Class of 2019. In his spare time, he enjoys going on all kinds of adventures with his family including traveling, going to the theater, and attending sporting events.

Mary Kate McCain

Co-Director of College Counseling

Email | 508.291.8376

Mary Kate began her career at Boston University, where she worked in alumni relations, coordinated a summer high school program in communications, and directed freshman programming at the College of Communication, including overseeing admissions events, student orientations, and academic advising. Mary Kate was as an Outreach Counselor for Educational Talent Search in New Hampshire, a federally funded initiative that offers college and financial aid counseling to low-income students. She came to Tabor in 1996, where she has worked in the admissions office, and is a dorm parent, advisor, admissions reader, and senior projects committee member. She has worked in the College Office since 2006 and lives on campus in Glaeser House with her husband Andrew '84 and their children Gwen '15, Jack '18, Finn '21, Teag '22. Mary Kate holds a B.A. from Holy Cross and a M.Ed. from Harvard University.

Stuart Titus '86

College Counselor

Email | 508.291.8372

Stuart, Tabor Class of 1986, has worked in independent schools for over 25 years, most recently as an English teacher and Senior Associate Director of College Counseling at Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania. Closer to his Tabor years, he spent 11 years at St. George’s School, where he was the Associate Director of College Counseling, as well as an English teacher, coach, advisor, and dorm parent. He has also worked as a Leadership Gifts Officer at Brooks School in North Andover, MA, and began his career at Pingree School in South Hamilton, MA where he taught English and served as the Director of Admission. He is a graduate of Bates College, where he majored in English and played football.

Steffon Gales

Associate Director of College Counseling

Email | 508.291.8391

Originally from Roxbury, Massachusetts, Steffon began his career as at Bowdoin College as an admissions counselor. He assisted with yield admissions events, travelled across the East Coast to the states of Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina to name a few. Most importantly, he navigated the college process for underrepresented and low-income students from all over the nation through the Explore Bowdoin fly-in program.

After spending time in college admissions, Steffon wanted to make a greater impact on the students he assisted. With this in mind, he joined the college counseling office at Tabor in 2021. In addition to his work in the college office, Steffon is a dorm parent in Lillard North. He is a huge fan of board games, video games, and performing improv comedy routines. Steffon holds a B.S. from The University of Maine at Farmington.

Sarah Burns '04