Abigail Chipley

Abigail Chipley is an admissions counselor at College Karma, where she has worked remotely from Portland, Oregon since January 2024, guiding high school juniors and seniors through the challenging college application process. She works one-on-one with students to research college and university programming, create individualized plans that take their interests, academic profile and preferences into consideration, provide admissions forecasts and help students broaden their options. With her background in writing and editing, her specialty is coaching students through the essay writing process, helping them craft compelling personal narratives that showcase their unique voices. She also researches scholarships, merit aid and financial aid potential for clients, ensuring families understand their financial options. In 2024, she began this new phase of her career as a private college counselor, putting her writing and research skills to work in education after more than a decade in media and communications.?

Before transitioning to college counseling, Abigail built an extensive career in magazine journalism, online media and content development with a focus on the intersection of food and health. From May 2018 to November 2020, she served as Senior Writer and Researcher at Calyx Peak Companies, where she was head writer, editor and copyeditor for communications ranging from newsletters and web copy to business plans and complex proposals. Earlier, she worked as Senior Food Editor at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia for Everyday Food magazine from September 2003 to May 2006, where, as a founding editor, she helped launch the magazine from its premiere test issue to an award-winning publication with a national circulation of 900,000. She developed 400 original recipes published in 38 issues, contributed over 80 recipes to cookbooks, including a New York Times bestseller, mentored associate editors, and gave cooking demonstrations for advertising clients. From December 1999 to July 2001, she served as News Editor at Vegetarian Times, where she wrote up to 10 news articles monthly on nutrition, food, wellness and sustainable agriculture, interviewing doctors, nutritionists and farmers while distilling complex issues into engaging stories. She also worked in food styling and production for television and magazines from 2001 to 2003, and as a freelance chef for Martha Stewart Living from 1998 to 1999. Since January 2010, she has continued freelance work in food, nutrition and health content development for clients including The Mediterranean Dish, Oregon Health Sciences University, Food Network, Real Simple and Rachel Ray Every Day.?

Abigail holds a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature from Smith College, a Diploma of Culinary Arts from Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts, and completed coursework in Functional Nutrition at Portland Community College from September 2019 to September 2020. Her career has emphasized service journalism that improves people's lives, and in her spare time, she promotes equitable access to sustainable, local food and teaches friends to cook.?