Robin A Johnson

A lifelong Oregonian, Robin grew up in the Portland area, an only child with a deep love of reading, music and the outdoors. She received a Bachelor of Music degree in French Horn Performance from Northwestern University, and after graduation, felt the pull to return to her roots in the Pacific Northwest.

In September of 2013, Robin began volunteering in the College and Career Center at Cleveland High School. Shortly thereafter, she became a member of the leadership team and took over the mentoring program while completing, with distinction, the UCLA College Counseling Certificate program. 

Visiting more than 25 colleges each year, networking with admissions professionals and colleagues, attending continuing education webinars and seminars, and reading extensively about all aspects of the college process, are just a few of the ways that Robin continues to develop her knowledge and skills.

Robin is a proud member of the Portland Area College Counselors Consortium (PACCC), the Pacific Northwest Association for College Admission Counseling (PNACAC), and the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA). She is also certified to administer and interpret the Strong Interest Inventory, holds a Certificate of Completion from the Gap Year Association’s 2022 Counselor’s Institute, and is a WOW Certified Essay Coach. Guided by the core values of equity, ethical counsel, honesty, confidentiality, and respect, Robin acts in accordance with the principles embodied in the HECA Standards and Ethics Statement.

In addition to performing as a musician, she has worked as a woodwind repair person, trumpet builder, bank teller, customer service rep, and wine server. When she is not visiting colleges, helping students to craft their college lists, manage their application deadlines, or brainstorm and edit their application essays; Robin enjoys reading, hiking with her husband and dog, playing bridge, and texting her sons and their partners to ask them to send her pictures of their faces.

Visiting colleges is an important and fun part of my job. Touring campuses in person and speaking with admissions officers, financial aid officers and current students really helps to give me a sense of the kind of student that will be happy and successful at a given school. Every year I try to tour more than 20 campuses. Here you’ll find a list of some of the schools I have visited.