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Meet the Team

At The Wardlaw + Hartridge School we have two full-time college counselors available to work with our students and families on the ever-shifting college landscape. The College Counseling Office provides opportunities for students and families to learn more about all aspects of the college admission process. Our goal is to ensure that our graduates have the skills and knowledge to navigate the college process effectively so that they can make the best selection for their undergraduate experience. 


  • Sarah Honan joined W+H after over a decade of working in higher education and college admissions. After graduating summa cum laude from George Washington University, Sarah began her career in college admissions at DePaul University. She later joined the undergraduate admissions team at Fordham University where she oversaw recruitment data management and analytics. After completing her Master's in Education Policy from Teachers College at Columbia University, Sarah transitioned to the non-profit space serving as the Director of Operations for Cooperman College Scholars.

    Sarah currently serves as an Advisory Committee Member for the Education Pioneers Greater NY Alumni Board, a member and regular volunteer for the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) as well as its state affiliate, the New Jersey Association for College Admission Counseling (NJACAC), and a member of the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools (ACCIS). 


 

Sarah Whittemore Honan

Director of College Counseling

Lower School Landing Page

Alayne Birnhak

Associate Director of College Counseling


Alayne Birnhak joined the W+H community in July 2022 as Associate Director of College Counseling. Ms. Birnhak earned her Bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University, a Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers University School of Law, a Master’s degree in Higher and Postsecondary Education from Teachers College of Columbia University, and a Master’s degree in Jewish Studies from Gratz College in Pennsylvania. She has also earned certificates in college admission advising from Teachers College of Columbia University and from Harvard Summer Institute. Ms. Birnhak served as Director of Recruitment and Admissions for The Jewish Theological Seminary and Associate Director of Graduate Admissions for Bank Street College of Education. She then provided career counseling through OneTRUEzone Foundation and college counseling through her position at the highly-regarded Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls in Teaneck, NJ.


 

Rande Brown

Registrar

College Counseling 

Assistant


Rande Brown joined the W+H Community part-time in 2013 as a substitute teacher, an early care supervisor and the Summer Programs Assistant and later became the full-time Front Desk Receptionist in 2016, before becoming the College Counseling Administrative Assistant & Registrar in 2021.  


Having recently gone through the college admission process with her own children, Zachary ‘20 and Olivia ’21,  Mrs. Brown looks forward to interacting with Upper School Students and assisting them in their exciting college process.


 

Upcoming Events

Meet Our Graduates

Meet Lisa Li '21

"I am so grateful to have Ms. Honan to be my college counselor, who has always been communicating with me, supporting me and addressing all my concerns during the stressful college application process. She is so dedicated that she has given me great help from navigating my whole application process to revising and proofreading every essay and supplement."

Read More about Meet Lisa Li '21
Meet Noah Apter '21

"Mr. Teare guided me with wisdom and total support from beginning to end of the college process. Not a day went by when we didn’t touch base or communicate in some way. I count his honest and profound advice and guidance as one of the major factors in my admission to Penn.”

Read More about Meet Noah Apter '21
Meet Jessie Ni '21

"In terms of college counseling, Mrs. Honan was THE PERFECT advisor for me. She is always on top of things. She is always in touch with admission officers and she teaches me how to communicate with them effectively. She holds passion in her work and she is great at it. From college list, to application details, to essays, she guided me through everything I once worried about."

Read More about Meet Jessie Ni '21
Meet Zain Lee-Briggs '21

“Mr. Teare is very knowledgeable about the college application process and I found his personal experiences to be indispensable. Meeting and speaking with him about different worries, struggles and concerns throughout the college application process really helped me create the best application I possibly could.”

Read More about Meet Zain Lee-Briggs '21
Meet Cami Martinez '21

“The Capstone class within the Global Scholars Program at W+H has prepared me for future success in college. It provided me with the opportunity to conduct original research that I never thought I would be doing during my time in high school. It has given me an early start to conduct research which I hope to continue at Carnegie Mellon.”

Read More about Meet Cami Martinez '21
Meet Ariana Di Landro '21

The biggest aspect of my W+H experience is the intimate community I have formed. I have learned what loyalty means and how to gain one’s trust. The close relationships I have formed with certain teachers have helped me see the world from an adult perspective and challenged me academically in the classroom setting to become a diligent worker and curious thinker. These relationships have made me become the best version of myself and I can't wait to discover similar, if possible, stronger relationships at a top university like Princeton.”

Read More about Meet Ariana Di Landro '21