Workshop Details:
June 8-10, 2026 (Monday-Wednesday)
9:00am-12:00pm
Grade: 12th (SLS students only)
Cost: $400
Workshop Description:
For SLS rising seniors: This popular workshop is designed to help students craft the strongest possible college essays by providing focused instruction on both the Common App personal statement and supplemental essays. Across the workshop’s three days, members of the SLS College Counseling team and Upper School faculty will guide students through a series of brainstorming and outlining activities, combining meaningful self-reflection with story development and structure. There will be group work, one-to-one interactions, and the opportunity to work with each instructor. Following our morning sessions, students are welcome to remain on campus in the afternoons if they would like a quiet and conducive environment in which to write and workshop drafts with the College Counseling team.
Note: While enrollment in this workshop is limited to SLS students, we offer a session open to students from the broader community later in June, and we are happy to assist students interested in potentially working with current and former members of the SLS faculty who provide individualized college essay support.
Emily Allen is an English teacher and Admissions Officer at SLS. In addition to her roles in the English and Admissions departments, Emily serves as a dean to the Class of 2026 and coaches Varsity Field Hockey and Varsity Boys Ice Hockey. Emily earned her undergraduate degree in Secondary Education from the University of Vermont and has a Master's Degree in Humanities from Wesleyan University.
Sonia Bell is Director of College Counseling and a member of the English faculty at SLS. She holds a B.A. in English from Spelman College, an M.L.A. from Johns Hopkins University, and has completed the coursework and comprehensive exams toward a doctorate in linguistics at the University of Georgia. Ms. Bell has also served as Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD.
Hunter Martin is a member of the faculty at SLS, where he teaches Honors Modern World History and Advanced European History, as well as interdisciplinary senior electives. He leads the Summer Program at SLS and assists seniors with their college essays during the school year. Mr. Martin holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Wisconsin, where his scholarship focused on the intellectual traditions and cultural politics of Europe during the twentieth century.
Stephen Vehslage is Associate Director of College Counseling at SLS, where he also teaches Advanced History electives in US Government & Politics. Before arriving at SLS, Mr. Vehslage was a long-time member of the faculty at New Canaan High School. He holds a B.A. in English from Princeton University and a law degree from New York University School of Law. In addition, Mr. Vehslage is a graduate of the Teacher Preparation Program at Yale University, where he completed a course of studies in secondary education.
Stefanie Veneruso is the Assistant Director of College Counseling at SLS, where she also serves as an advisor and co-leads the Student Alumni Committee. She holds a B.A. in English from Villanova University and holds a certificate in college advising from Teachers College, Columbia University. Before working in college counseling, Stefanie worked in the SLS Development Office for ten years.