Mary Hulme

Mary Hulme is a college counselor, educator, and two-time 100-mile ultramarathoner who believes the best college plans are built around the student—not a formula. 

With a master’s degree in School and Community Counseling, an Ontario teaching certification, and more than a decade working with students, Mary brings a different lens to college admissions. She wants to know what makes a student tick: what they care about, what they’re curious about, where they struggle, and what they might want their life to look like beyond an acceptance letter. Then she helps them build a plan to get there. 

Her approach is strategic but grounded. Mary has guided students to schools including Yale, Notre Dame, Michigan, and Georgetown and has supported students pursuing opportunities through QuestBridge, Posse, and the Gates Scholarship. She loves a great spreadsheet and a well-built college list, but she also knows that teenagers are people, not admissions projects. Sometimes the smartest move is adding something to a résumé; sometimes it’s deciding something simply isn’t worth doing. 

Mary originally planned on a very different career. As a kid, she dreamed of becoming a professional gymnast. While that didn’t exactly happen, the competitive streak stuck. She has since completed six Spartan Trifectas and two 100-mile ultramarathons. That experience has reinforced something she brings to her counseling: big goals become much less intimidating when you have a plan, stay flexible when things go sideways, and keep moving forward. 

She brings that same combination of ambition, perspective, and persistence to every student she works with.