04/23/2026
Baines College Consulting was founded in 2014 next to the UPenn campus andThe Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
For 12 years prior, I had worked in offices of admissions and financial aid at various colleges. I started as a work-study student on the campus of Boise State University where I was studying political science.
I moved to NJ in 2004 when my first daughter, Mariah, was born to be closer to her Dad’s family. I knew I would have a lot more support raising a baby so I packed 3 suitcases and moved across the country.
For ten years I experienced exponential growth in my career. I moved from being an Admissions Representative, to a Director of Admissions and then a Regional Director with teams across 8 states. My career was thriving because I loved my job.
Tragedy struck in 2014, when my second daughter was born. Phoenix was diagnosed with a rare and highly fatal disease called HLH. She started chemotherapy at 9 weeks old and received a life-saving bone marrow transplant when she was 5 months old. Her donor, Melissa, was a 19 year old college student at the time she decided to join the bone marrow registry on her campus.
While caring for my infant daughter in the hospital, my company informed me that they could no longer hold my job. I had to make a choice to either stay at her bedside or go back to work.
The decision to prioritize my family was an easy one and the right one. Being so close to death has a way of reminding you of what really matters in this life.
While she underwent treatment I began building my practice from her bedside.
It’s been a remarkable journey that led me on the path of entrepreneurship. I took my experience and skills and built something of my own, and I did it in the throws of a crisis.
Since then, our family has grown, business continues to grow and we’ve added new members. I’m a girl mom of three and can attest to the strength and power of being a woman and mother.
The UPenn campus is a place I was able to escape to for a walk or to sit on a bench to clear my head. I could watch students and professionals going between classes or between hospitals. That’s when I bravely decided to build my dreams