COLLEGE ADVISING

Ana has had the pleasure of working as a College and Career Advisor for Broward County Public Schools before starting at North Broward Preparatory. The ability to work with a diverse group of students from gifted students to students with special needs has allowed her to have tremendous knowledge of higher education admissions and a deep understanding of post-secondary options in Florida and beyond.

Ana earned her Bachelor of Arts from Florida International University, a Master's degree from Keller Graduate School of Management, a US Army Reserve veteran and currently a member of the College Advisory Board for the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Before working with high school age students, she worked for ten years in college admissions, where she managed departmental operations and advised both undergraduate and graduate students, as well as mentored community college transfer students.

She enjoys working with families and providing specialized student focused advice, informed by each individual’s unique talents, skills, and aspirations.  Ana always encourage students to have a plan for everything they do in life because she believes that “A Goal without a Plan is just a Dream!”  She look forward to meeting you and working together through the college journey.

Originally from New Jersey, Karen lived with her family in Aruba for over 12 years, where she was in the hotel business and a newscaster, before getting back into education 20 years ago. A global thinker, her daughter lives in Dubai and her son, Oregon. She is delighted to be a member of the international learning community of North Broward Prep serving for 17 years in the College Advising Office. She is our Miami Herald Silver Knight Coordinator and has served as our ACT/SAT Testing Coordinator during her time at NBP.

Working with high school age students and guiding them through the college search and application process, is very rewarding, as she watches their personal growth and development!  Many North Broward alumni, keep in touch with us throughout their lifetimes, in fact, four of Karen's, are now teaching or working at NBP!  

Karen is a graduate of Ithaca College and was married at Cornell University. She has visited over 150 colleges and universities, served on several college admission advisory boards, and been named a Broward County Ford Salute Education Mentor of the Year. Building relationships with our students and families, as well as the college admissions offices, helps our students find best fit colleges!

Bernadette Baxley has been a member of the North Broward Preparatory College Advising Department  since 2014. Prior to joining the Eagle family, Bernadette work for over a decade in undergraduate admissions at various colleges and universities in the Carolina region. While in admissions, she also served as an active committee member and conference presenter for the Carolinas Association of Collegiate Registrars & Admissions Officers (CACRAO) and the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling (SACAC). During that time, she had ample opportunity to network and work with other universities from all over the country.

In addition to travel and student recruitment, Bernadette has also worked with international applications, organized university recruitment events, and organized and planned county wide college fairs. She has always enjoyed the opportunity to build lasting relationships with families and students, which lead her to the decision to work on the  high school side of college admissions. In addition to guiding students on their journey to finding their right post-secondary path, Bernadette is an active member of the International Association of College Admissions Counselors and had the opportunity to serve on their committee, She also acquired professional certificates in International Counseling and International College Counseling.

Bernadette received her Bachelors of Science degree in Psychology with a Biology minor from Belmont Abbey College. In her personal time, Bernadette enjoys spending time with her husband and two young boys, usually out on the beach or on their family boat. On the rare occasion she is not by or on the water, Bernadette is an avid reader and is always open to great book recommendations.

Joining our team at the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, Kristen brings seventeen years working in education to the team. 

Originally from Rochester, NY, Kristen’s family moved to Coral Springs when she was thirteen years old, and she is a proud graduate of Stoneman Douglas High School and Florida State University.

After graduating Cum Laude from FSU with a Bachelor’s in Secondary English Education, she began her seventeen year (and counting) career in Education teaching both here in Broward County and in North Carolina. While teaching full time, she supplemented her income by tutoring everything from SAT and ACT prep to study skills to anything reading and writing related. She received her Master’s in Counseling from Wake Forest University in 2016, and chose to stay in education to use her advanced degree in High School Counseling. 

It was her position as a counselor that allowed her to feel like she was making the lives of students and families a little easier as they worked their way through the ever changing world of adolescence: academics, social and emotional expectations, mental health, and college admissions. She thrives on guiding students as they make plans that will allow them to achieve their individualized versions of success, create the strongest possible applications and essays needed for their best fit schools, and just journey through the sometimes overwhelming world of college admissions. 

Outside of work hours, Kristen enjoys spending time in nature, whether on walking trails or at the beach. She is also an avid reader and writer, and is typically found with a book or notebook in hand as she consumes copious amounts of caffeine.

Having worked in education for the last 13 years, Carla came to North Broward in 2023 with 4 years of college advising experience at a South Florida private high school where she Developed and implemented innovative academic and college advising plans to maximize results for her students.  Every student has their own voice & Carla wants to make sure every student she works with has that chance.

Prior to becoming a college advisor, Carla was a bilingual school counselor and classroom teacher for over 9 years, where she served as the Social Emotional Counselor, ESOL Coordinator, 504 Liaison, for a school of over 600 students. These experiences have allowed her to become exceedingly knowledgeable in building rapport with students of all backgrounds and academic levels.

She is an alumni of Florida International University in Miami, FL. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish with a minor in Education in 2011 and a Masters of Education in School Counseling in 2015. She has been a member of: Southern Association of College Admission Counseling, National Association for College Admission Counseling, and the American School Counseling Association.  

When Carla isn’t working, she enjoys spending time with her son Luciano as well as teaching dance fitness classes & listening to a good fiction novel on Audible.