ABOUT

Total Student Support was founded on the belief that education equals opportunity.

Ms. Ruehrwein grew up in a suburb of Boston with her parents and five siblings. She was a primary caretaker for her two younger brothers and saw them through their entire school experience, giving her the lifelong motivation to become an educator and college admissions expert. 

For her study at Providence College, Ms. Ruehrwein wanted to learn to help all students, so she took on a double major of regular and special education. Also knowing that she wanted to one day own her own business in the field while raising a family, she minored in business studies.

After college, Ms. Ruehrwein worked in leadership positions in small businesses. After these intense and rewarding experiences, she became a teacher. Her love and passion for teaching was clear, but her desire to get to know her students on an emotional level and to help them to deal with difficulties in school and other circumstances they might face was paramount. With the goal of helping all students to become hopeful for the future in mind, Ms. Ruehrwein went back to school for a Master of Education in Risk and Resilience Counseling. 

Committed to her younger brothers, Ms. Ruehrwein applied for her graduate degree program in the fall that they turned 18 and were to graduate high school in the spring. She entered the program with hope and zest, and it was met by the unique challenges that students in urban schools face. This is when Ms. Ruehrwein knew that her true calling was to become equipped to reach all students, help them build the hope and motivation they need to become academically successful, and ultimately attend their college of choice and realize their dreams for the future. 

In Boston Public Schools, Ms. Ruehrwein worked as a teacher, guidance counselor, advocate, and most notably, Director of College Preparation Programs.

Ms. Ruehrwein founded Total Student Support in San Diego in 2008. She serves students in person in San Diego and virtually nationwide. She is thrilled to live in her dream city of San Diego with her loving husband and child, who she is able to raise while caring for the children of others through her chosen field of education.