“I feel strongly that through the journey of the college admission process, I am able to inspire greatness for a better world. As I tell every student who steps into my office, they are exactly where they need to be with regard to the steps that lead to college. Each student has their own educational path, and I am poised to help them get from wherever they might be when they first walk through the door to where they are headed for college.”

Valencia Valentine Hamman joined the La Jolla Country Day School college counseling staff in 2007 after spending more than 20 years working in college admission. A native of Peoria, Ill., Ms. Valentine Hamman began her admission career at Beloit College in Wisconsin, where she worked for four years. Then she moved to San Diego, where she was a member of the admission staff at the University of San Diego for more than 12 years. Ms. Valentine Hamman also worked as a West Coast regional representative for Cornell University for four years, recruiting students from all over the West to attend Cornell. Admission work began for her as a way to give back to her alma mater, but it has become a lifelong passion.

Ms. Valentine Hamman attended Beloit College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in French and psychology. She has lived in San Diego since 1991 with her husband, Peter, a facilities engineer for a start-up biotechnology company. They have two children: Jackson (LJCDS class of 2020), who attends Ohio Wesleyan University, and Isabella, a Cal Poly San Luis Obispo graduate. They all love being a part of the LJCDS family.