She completed with distinction the practicum certificate program at UCLA in College Counseling. She is a founding member of the College Counseling Alliance, a national organization of independent college consultants. She is a college access counselor through College Match Los Angeles. Cynthia is a frequent speaker and contributor on a wide range of topics concerning undergraduate admissions and financial aid. She has been a keynote speaker at Harvard College and Harvard Business School.   

A longtime Harvard alumni volunteer leader, Cynthia is a past president of the Harvard Alumni Association; she chaired the Harvard Alumni Association’s 400-member board and traveled around the world with the Harvard University President, speaking to alumni at large events.  She is a graduate of Harvard College and received an MBA from Harvard Business School.  

Cynthia’s professional background is in financial services: she worked for 25 years as an executive at firms including Goldman Sachs, where she worked as an investment banker (New York City), Fidelity Investments, where she was a senior vice president in the institutional business area (Hong Kong), and First Interstate Bank of California, where she headed deposit and investment product management marketing (Los Angeles).