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OUR FOUNDERS
K Squared College Counseling was founded by the two “Ks,” Karen Gallop and Kristin Bogue on the opposite coasts of the United States, New Jersey and Southern California respectively. Although our eponymous company name was derived with a playful nod to our names, it was primarily inspired by our math geek backgrounds, specifically 'D’Agostino’s K² test,' a test designed to measure goodness-of-fit in a statistical sample. The notion of “goodness of fit” drives everything we do at K Squared, for achieving optimal “fit” should be the cornerstone of a student’s search.
Karen and Kristin share more than a love of math. Both have advanced degrees from top graduate schools in finance and marketing; thus both understand the rigor and stress associated with highly selective college admissions. Both spent 20+ years in corporate America, marketing and positioning new products and services across all spectrums including the consumer products, financial services and educational sectors; thus both fully comprehend how the proper positioning and packaging can cut through the clutter and stand out in a crowded field. Both had children who navigated the college process while in high school and understand the pressure placed on students academically and extracurricularly; thus both can be sensitive to the student/parent dynamic and the stresses associated with it. Finally, both have advanced their educational arsenal by pursuing certificates in College Counseling through the University of California, San Diego; thus you can be assured that they are up to date on the latest practices and procedures associated with the college selection process.
Working with either our NJ or CA office or maybe both should the student's college search focus on both coasts, you will be in great hands with one of our principals and respective support staff guiding and assisting your child's college counseling journey.
K Squared College Counseling was founded by the two “Ks,” Karen Gallop and Kristin Bogue on the opposite coasts of the United States, New Jersey and Southern California respectively. Although our eponymous company name was derived with a playful nod to our names, it was primarily inspired by our math geek backgrounds, specifically 'D’Agostino’s K² test,' a test designed to measure goodness-of-fit in a statistical sample. The notion of “goodness of fit” drives everything we do at K Squared, for achieving optimal “fit” should be the cornerstone of a student’s search.
Karen and Kristin share more than a love of math. Both have advanced degrees from top graduate schools in finance and marketing; thus both understand the rigor and stress associated with highly selective college admissions. Both spent 20+ years in corporate America, marketing and positioning new products and services across all spectrums including the consumer products, financial services and educational sectors; thus both fully comprehend how the proper positioning and packaging can cut through the clutter and stand out in a crowded field. Both had children who navigated the college process while in high school and understand the pressure placed on students academically and extracurricularly; thus both can be sensitive to the student/parent dynamic and the stresses associated with it. Finally, both have advanced their educational arsenal by pursuing certificates in College Counseling through the University of California, San Diego; thus you can be assured that they are up to date on the latest practices and procedures associated with the college selection process.
Working with either our NJ or CA office or maybe both should the student's college search focus on both coasts, you will be in great hands with one of our principals and respective support staff guiding and assisting your child's college counseling journey.
AFFILIATIONS
BCP Evaluator™
Laura Rolnick
Christian DiGennaro
- In 2016, K Squared established an affiliation with Betterton College Planning (BCP). BCP was founded by Don Betterton, a leading expert in college admissions and financial aid. For over 30 years, Don served as a member of the Admissions Committee of Princeton University, as well as the Director of Financial Aid and chief architect of the school’s groundbreaking “no loan” program. Upon starting Betterton College Planning, Don developed a comprehensive evaluation tool to assess a student based on an empirical rating system that considers essential factors beyond standardized test scores and GPA. This sophisticated scoring program, the BCP Evaluator™, has been the cornerstone of Don’s successful college admissions counseling practice. K Squared, in its affiliation with BCP, has licensed this powerful and unique tool that allows the counselor and student to utilize a quantitative mechanism for developing and planning a college list matched to student’s credentials and college selectivity.
Laura Rolnick
- “Stand out to get in” is Laura’s approach to college admissions. Laura prides herself on her ability to connect with her students and identify their unique attributes and goals, making the application process both enjoyable and successful. Researching “fit” and elucidating it in supplementals is an expertise. She is passionate about guiding students to write with precision, efficacy, and joy. As a Cornell University alumnus, Laura interviews applicants to the university and meets with alumni and school representatives about current admissions trends.
Writing has been Laura's passion since childhood. At Cornell, Laura wrote an honors thesis and graduated magna cum laude from the School of Arts and Sciences. Writing and editing for the renowned Cornell Daily Sun honed Laura’s journalistic, feature, and editorial writing. At Boston University School of Law, Laura wrote and edited for the Probate Law Journal and published articles pertaining to jurisprudence and surrogacy. She later wrote decisions for the presiding judges at the New York County Surrogate’s Court, and wrote briefs and correspondence for two New York City Law firms where she trained associates in legal and business writing.
While raising her two "artsy" daughters, graduates of Cornell and Brown, she decided that her creative thinking and writing would be best combined with her passion for helping young people achieve their educational goals. She is dedicated to ensuring that her students “shoot high” on their application journeys, and nothing makes Laura happier than hearing from her students about their wins throughout the process.
In her free time, Laura loves playing tennis, vocabulary games, live comedy, and her all-time-favorite happy place: Broadway theater.
Christian DiGennaro
- Chris has spent his career finding success in new environments, mentoring others towards shared and individual goals and placing workers in jobs that produce rewarding outcomes. Upon completing his time at the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, Chris’ career path took an unexpected turn. Over the course of 20+ years navigating the rigors of the restaurant industry, he continuously found himself in collaborative and advisory positions—skills that transition perfectly to helping young people with their college admissions journey. Whether it was advising restaurants as they went public, supporting young workers, hiring, training, and coaching employees, Chris truly enjoys getting to know a person’s strengths and placing them in environments where they will flourish. As a mentor, Chris always found great satisfaction recruiting students—imploring the students to focus on what really mattered to them—and helping them find cultures that matched both who they were as a worker and as a person. Most recently, he ran a summer day camp business in Brooklyn, where he mentored high school and college-aged summer employees. In his personal life, Chris is a single dad to two school-aged children, enjoying the time he has with them and sharing his love of great literature. He has also written the great American novel in his head many times, but until he can get it down on paper, he will be a great asset helping students craft their personal narratives, focusing on great storytelling and an exploration of the values they hold dear.
