Our Team
SANDRA GILBERT
President, College Consultant
PAT CANNON
President, College Consultant
AMY BELSTRA
College Consultant
Students work with their RCC professional, exclusively. We do not outsource our services.
About Us
Sandra Gilbert holds a MA in Counseling and a BA and MA in Speech/Communication English. Sandra worked as a counselor and college counselor in Deerfield-Highland Park, Stevenson, Palatine-Schaumburg, Evanston, Maine, and Barrington school districts for over 30 years.
Sandra served as President of the Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC). She is also a member of the IACAC Past Presidents Committee. Sandra served on the President’s Council and Government Relations Committees of the National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC). She is the recipient of the IACAC President’s Service Award.
Sandra has presented on a wide variety of college admission topics to students and parents, and at state and national conferences. She remains active in both IACAC and NACAC and is also a Professional Member of IECA (Independent Education Consultants Association) Professional Member. Sandra has additional first-hand experience as an application evaluator for Northwestern University and as an Admissions Officer for Stonehill College, in the Boston area. She served as an Adjunct Professor at DePaul University’s College of Education, training graduate students seeking a Masters’s Degree in Counseling.
Through her experience, Sandra has helped thousands of students matriculate to college and personally visited over 250 college campuses across the United States and Canada. She works with students presenting diverse needs, from those with learning disabilities to gifted students and athletes, as well as students pursuing the arts. (Sandra created the program Passion for the Arts at Highland Park HS, for students interested in majoring in the Visual and Performing Arts.) She maintains close collegial relationships with college admission and financial aid officers at colleges and universities across the country.
Pat Cannon holds a MA in School Counseling, a BA in English, and is a Certified School Administrator. Pat worked at Highland Park High School as a Counselor for 33 years and was the Department Chair for the last 10 of those years. The City of Highland Park honored Pat with the Mayoral Proclamation for her service to HPHS students and families.
She was also honored with the 2010 and 2011 Teacher Recognition Award through the U.S. Department of Education. Through her multiple roles, Pat has counseled thousands of students and families in the college search while overseeing the counseling and college counseling programs at Highland Park High School. Her knowledge of the college process is based on years of experience working with individual students and their families, program development and oversight, knowledge of high school curriculum, and deep knowledge of the process.
She has expertise in working not only with high achieving students looking at the most selective colleges in the country, but also students with learning differences, special interests, and college transfer students. Her patience and understanding of the unique qualities of every student stem from a lifetime of experience and is committed to understanding the unique needs of students on the North Shore.
Pat has visited over 150 colleges throughout the country and is active in the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC), and the Independent Education Consultants Association, Professional Member (IECA). She volunteers with College Bound Opportunities and serves on the IACAC Scholarship Committee.
Pat is skilled in working with all students but has an affinity for working with students who struggle with anxiety and depression. She created the Drop-In Center at Highland Park High School, (for student group and individual support), and has presented sessions at numerous national, state, and local conferences in the areas of student assistance, crisis intervention, and running successful support groups. Pat also taught speech and coached Congressional Debate for 33 years. She served as President of the Illinois Congressional Debate Association and holds a Third Diamond Key Award with the National Speech and Debate Association.
Amy holds a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and Counselor Education from the University of Colorado–Denver. She began her career in college admission at the University of Denver and Alma College before spending 22 years as a high school postsecondary counselor and postgraduate coordinator at Libertyville High School (IL) and Cherry Creek High School (CO). With nearly four decades of experience in college admission and counseling, Amy has walked alongside hundreds of students and families through one of the most meaningful transitions of their lives.
Over the years, Amy has supported athletes, artists, academic high-achievers, LGBTQ+ students, students with IDD, transfer applicants, and those who quietly worry that their high school choices may limit their options. She believes deeply that there is a college fit for every student — and that the process, while sometimes stressful, can also be empowering and transformative.
Colleagues across the country know Amy as a generous mentor and leader. She has trained professional school counselors in college advising, directed widely respected essay-writing workshops, and served on national committees for the National Association for College Admission Counseling. She has contributed her expertise to advisory boards for institutions including the University of Michigan, University of Illinois, University of South Carolina, University of Tennessee, and the National Merit Scholarship Foundation.
Amy’s work has been recognized with the Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling’s highest honor, the Patricia A. Kasowski Award, as well as being named a Counselor That Changes Lives and inducted into the Colorado Council Hall of Fame.
At the heart of it all, Amy is a careful listener. She reads between the lines, asks thoughtful questions, and draws on decades of professional relationships to help students move forward with clarity and confidence. Guiding students through their college search isn’t just her profession — it’s work she genuinely loves.