The Admissions Team
Ashley Giljum
Director of AdmissionOriginally from Louisville, Kentucky, Ashley Giljum made her way to St. Louis in 1999 to attend college at Saint Louis University. There, she completed both her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Social Work. While earning her master’s degree, Ashley gained four valuable years of experience as an admission and financial aid counselor in SLU’s Office of Undergraduate Admission.
Ashley joined the Visitation Academy family as Director of Admission in 2007, where she is in charge of Upper School admission (grades seven through twelve) and oversees the Lower School Admission coordinator. In addition to founding the Visitation Ambassadors Club , she also instituted Visitation Academy’s annual 6th grade lock-in – an event that gives potential seventh graders the chance to stay overnight on campus with current Viz students for a night of fun activities.
Helping families discover whether Visitation Academy is the right fit for them – and getting to know each prospective student individually – are Ashley’s favorite aspects of her job.
When she isn’t meeting with potential students and their parents, Ashley enjoys both running and reading. She lives with her husband Brian – whom she married in 2008 – and their two dogs, Flash and Otto.
Melanie Harmon
Lower School Admission CoordinatorMelanie Harmon – originally from Webster Groves, Missouri – graduated from the University of Kansas in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish. In 2007, she joined the ranks of Visitation Academy’s faculty as a Lower School Spanish teacher. Melanie was named Lower School Admission Coordinator one year later, where she is now charged with recruiting potential students age 2 through grade six.
Although there are many things that Melanie appreciates about her job, she loves working with students and getting to meet new people more than anything.
In her spare time, Melanie enjoys traveling and sitting down to read a good book. She is also a self-professed “sweet tooth” and often has candy waiting for visitors in her office.