Hi, I'm
Nicole Wagner

I bring a distinct blend of creative strategy, business savvy, and educational expertise to every student I work with. My background brings something different to this work. It's original, outside-the-box thinking that shapes the entire process, not just how a student's story is told, but how they are perceived in the admissions office.

I didn't set out to become a college counselor. I started working in design and branding for Fortune 500 companies, eventually building a successful art consulting business where I worked with corporate and private clients to create spaces that felt intentional, personal, and distinctly theirs.

Everything changed when a friend asked me to be a mentor at Chicago Scholars, supporting academically ambitious students from under-resourced communities on their path to college. I quickly saw how clarity, storytelling, and positioning could transform the admissions process. That first year, I was nominated by my cohort of students and named Mentor of the Year. More importantly, I knew I had found the work I was meant to do.

I chose to fully commit. I completed the College Counseling program at UCLA and trained within the college counseling office at St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago, gaining an inside perspective on how the process works from the school side. I then co-founded College Here I Come, guiding students through every stage of the admissions process. That work shaped the highly personalized, relationship-driven approach I bring to every student today.