Haruka Yamashita is an independent educational consultant based in Dublin, California.  As a college admissions counselor, she founded Plan It Education in 2016 and hosted College Knowledge Webinars in 2020.  

Haruka is a native of New York and a graduate of Cornell University with a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies. She brings a passion for working with teens and counseling to her practice.  

For 7 years, she served as a chair for Cornell’s Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network (CAAAN) in the East Bay; she trained other Bay Area chairs and alumni interviewers. Together, they were responsible for contacting hundreds of applicants from the San Francisco East Bay.

As a UC Freshman Admissions Reader she was responsible for reviewing hundreds of applications first hand. These days, she attends the UC and CSU Counselor conferences every year to keep up with changes in admissions policies and trends. 

Haruka completed her Certificate in Independent Educational Consulting (IEC) from UC Irvine in 2016.  Today, she is an active member of the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA) in the HECA 680 and HECA Silicon Valley chapters, as well as the Western Association for College Admissions Counseling (WACAC). She abides by professional and ethical Codes of Conduct. 

She is also the founder of the East Bay College Admissions Advisors (EBCAA), a group of local independent college counselors who are equally dedicated to serving students and their families. EBCAA has partnered with Splash at Berkeley to organize Parent Program Series, "Get Ready for College" each spring and fall since 2020. For these efforts, Haruka was recognized as HECA Rising Star of the Year in 2023. 

Haruka's passion is to inspire, motivate and educate families so that they can make the best decisions as they navigate their college admissions journeys. 

「米国大学への道のパーソナルコーチ」として 進学の準備や対策、奨学金制度、日米の違いなどのアドバイスをします。  コーネル大学、ニューヨーク日本語補習校高等部卒。   日本語でも英語でも親切に応援します。」

Read more about Haruka’s background on LinkedIn.