Advisors

I have more than 30 years of experience in academia, including 16 years at Stanford University, where I supported research faculty and authored the University's 200-page research grant Proposal Preparation Manual (legacy), which emphasized legal and ethical research policies. I've interacted with world-recognized authors and scientists, envious of and learning from their brilliance! Prior to Stanford, I was an assistant editor for a peer-reviewed academic research journal and earned certificates as a professional editor in Stanford's intensive summer Publishing Courses. I have expertise in all phases of academic publishing and style guides, as well as creative writing programs and publishing venues for high schoolers, particularly literary magazines. I am well versed in Academic Authorship as it pertains to research papers. I earned an M.A. in Education with Distinguished Achievement. After graduate school, I supported community service-learning faculty, students, and community organizations at San Francisco State's Institute for Civic and Community Engagement. I was lead author and editor for a variety of brochures, grant proposals, and national monographs. I am especially proud of the work I did to support formerly incarcerated students, and the English tutoring I did at San Quentin. For the past decade, I have served as a college admissions advisor, coaching diverse high school and undergraduate students through the application process, which includes obtaining persuasive letters of recommendation, and completing various application forms. I have deep institutional knowledge about the cultures, curricula, and admission requirements of a plethora of colleges and universities nationwide. My magic is helping students brainstorm, develop, and edit their personal stories, essays, and graduate personal statements. I love helping students discover and critically reflect on who they are and how they can contribute to the world (meta cognition), so I ask LOTS of questions! Your success is my success! I have helped students complete the Common App, Coalition App (ugh!), MIT, Georgetown Apps, UC App, and Cal Apply. My interdisciplinary academic discoveries began in Creative Writing (poetry) and English literature at San Francisco State University, which was recognized as a top English department nationwide. My professors earned their doctorates from Harvard, Yale, Duke, Columbia, Oxford, and more. Because I loved the learning journey, I also took classes in Classics, World & Comparative Literature, religious studies, and political science. Alas, too many ideas and not enough time!

My name is Bintou Sankareh. I graduated from Hunter College. During my time at Hunter, I majored in Psychology and Sociology. Currently, I am pursuing my MPA at the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs in Baruch College. The key to life is to have an excellent education, and I hope to help students achieve their full potential by guiding them. I have five years of advising experience, and I hope to make the college process fun and flexible. I love to travel, and I hope to travel worldwide to learn new ideas.

Hello! My name is Bailey (she/her) and I have over 7 years of experience in both undergraduate and graduate level admissions. I have worked in admissions offices at schools within Claremont Colleges, the University of Washington and the University of Southern California. I have served as an admissions interviewer and on the admissions committee for undergraduate, law and health professions programs. I received a BA in both Business and Visual and Media Studies at the University of Redlands. I have had the opportunity to work with numerous high school students in their college search and application process.

Hello everyone! My name is Ardyel, and I am a cum laude graduate of Legal Studies at UC Berkeley with a Minor in Education. Born and raised in Metro Manila, Philippines, my family and I moved to Los Angeles, CA in 2015 where I graduated as my high school's Class Valedictorian. My background as a first-generation, low-income, and immigrant college student helped me see the value of mentorship in all aspects of my life. During my college application journey, I worked intensively under the guidance and mentorship of Thrive Scholars who helped me become a Finalist for QuestBridge and gain admissions to 8 universities in California. As a way of giving back, I worked at UC Berkeley's Nav2Cal App Support Program and Matriculate Fellowship which allowed me to mentor 5 hardworking high school students from California and New York in their college applications. They currently attend great institutions such as Tufts University, Wesleyan University, and my alma mater, UC Berkeley! I can help students who have academic interests in STEM, Law, and the Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. In my spare time, I like to listen to K-Pop and P-Pop (Pinoy Pop), play volleyball and mobile games with my younger brother, collect Funko Pops, and watch Marvel movies. I cannot wait to take part in your college application journey! Rest assured that I will be fully supporting you in your goals and helping you navigate this process with care and intent.

I came to the US as an international student from Germany and fell in love with international education. I completed a BA in Foreign Languages at Louisiana State University and continued my education at Xavier University in the MBA program. My final degree is a doctorate in Globalization in Education from USC. I have worked in international education for over 20 years as an admission director, director of residential life, and director for international student services. I am currently the Senior Assistant Director for International Admission at Fordham University as well as an immigration advisor. In this position I review high achieving student application as well as awarding merit and financial need-based scholarships. As an academic and college advisor I have worked with students domestically as well as internationally in majors such as engineering, business, law, international relations, physics, e-game design, art, and many more. With over 20 years of higher ed experience I am aware and prepared to assist students through the often-complicated college application process. I will assist them in positioning their application in the best light for the most competitive universities. I have a great passion for working with students and find joy in the successes. As a previous international student myself, I understand the anxiety and worries that are involved when families consider sending their children abroad as well as confusion about the student visa process. I have worked with families abroad as well as domestic and am happy to build lasting relationships to assist students not just in the application process but also in the academic advising and first year adjustment period.

Hello! My name is Andrew, and I am currently a medical student at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. I graduated from high school in 2019 and went to the University of Pennsylvania as a pre-med. At Penn, I majored in biochemistry and biology. I was accepted into the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, a top 10/15 medical school with no gap years. Currently, 80% of matriculants into medical school take at least a single gap year before applying to and matriculating into medical school. Therefore, I have full and complete knowledge of how a student can get accepted into medical school from day 1 of undergrad. In addition, my brother applied to college this past year. Through my guidance, he was accepted into several T20 universities and is currently attending Duke, a top 10 university. Through my experiences, I feel as if I have a personal and unique insight into the application process, not only as a student but as a mentor.

I was born in Chile and grew up in Santiago and in Caracas, Venezuela, until the age of 12, when my family moved to the United States. As a high school student in Texas, I knew that my parents' financial situation meant that I would need to limit my college search to universities in Texas to be able to pay in-state tuition. I received scholarship offers from the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A & M, and Southern Methodist University. Ultimately, I chose UT-Austin because I liked everything the city had to offer as the "live music capital of the world," the easy access to the gentle beauty of the Hill Country, and the university's reputation and wonderful campus. Although I had originally intended to pursue a dual degree involving civil engineering, at UT-Austin I obtained a Bachelor of Arts in the Plan II Honors Program. Plan II has multi-disciplinary course requirements and strong emphasis on problem solving, critical and analytical skills, and writing. To pay for the expenses not covered by my scholarship, I worked as a news and entertainment writer at the university's highly regarded newspaper, The Daily Texan, as well as serving as the Music Director for KTSB (now KVRX) student radio. Rather than pursuing a career in journalism or broadcasting, however, I worked for two years at a low-income housing corporation in Alexandria, Virginia, before pursuing certification to become a teacher in Texas. My career in education includes 22 years teaching overseas, including in China, the U.A.E., Vietnam, Tanzania, Malaysia, Albania, and Japan before returning to the U.S. in 2019. Along the way I obtained a Master of Education in TESOL from Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. I was an IELTS examiner for twelve years and an SAT Center Director for two. Since 2005 I have worked at International Baccalaureate World Schools teaching IB Diploma History, Global Politics, Theory of Knowledge, and MYP Individuals & Societies, as well as IGCSE History and various other courses within the social studies umbrella, while also getting involved with college counseling on a part-time basis beginning in 2012. As a part-time college counselor at my schools in Malaysia and Japan between 2012 and 2019, I helped students to navigate the application process for universities in the UK (UCAS), USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Malaysia, and Japan. My former students have gone on to pursue degrees and careers in economics, business, law, medicine, public health, urban planning, nature conservation, psychology, graphic arts, music, and education. Thanks to social media, I have stayed in touch with many of them and have conducted extensive post-college interviews with some to find out more about their experiences in higher education and their subsequent careers. In my current role as Residential Faculty at a private IB World School in Tacoma, Washington, I continue to support students as they navigate the demanding curriculum of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program while living away from home. We currently have students from the USA, China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan, Ukraine, Brazil, and Moldova, and I endeavor to apply my many years working internationally and knowledge of various higher education systems around the world to help them reach their dreams.

I have over four years of experience in direct college access work, helping students gain acceptance into selective colleges and universities. I also have more than four years of experience developing community education programs and building sustainable community partnerships for underserved populations.

Hello! My name is Afi, and I am passionate about helping students get into their dream schools. This is my third year as a College Advisor; After graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2019, I worked in the National College Advising Corps as a College Advisor. I have worked with students and families throughout the entire college application process, from start to finish, applications to enrollment, before, and during the Covid-19 Pandemic. I specialize in helping students and families of ALL backgrounds, including (but not limited to): first generation, low-income, high-achieving, student-athletes, rural, students of color, immigrants, international students, and students with learning differences etc., get into all types of schools (public/private, Ivy, in-state/out of state, HBCU, international, community colleges, etc.). I've helped students construct excellent admissions essays, win full rides to their dream schools, complete the FAFSA/Financial Aid, CSS Profile, Common App, the FAFSA, and the CSS profile. Let's work together to make those college dreams come true!

Hello! My name is Adriana, and I graduated from Pitzer College in 2018. I'm currently a PhD student in Sociology at Yale University, where I study topics relating to immigration, race, and inequality. Prior to Yale, I worked as an Admission Offer and have also served as a mentor for various college access programs that serve underrepresented populations. I'm a strong believer in the power of mentorship, and my goal is to give my students the tools, knowledge, and confidence that they need to pursue their educational aspirations.

Described by coworkers and former students as an engineer-meets-social-worker, Professor Berent works full-time as a professor at Northwestern University, and part-time with CollegeAdvisor.com to provide insight to not only what gets students accepted into college, but what makes them successful once there.

Why work with Professor Berent?
• Knows the full engineering experience. Zack has been an undergraduate student, graduate student, academic and career advisor, researcher, teaching fellow, and now professor at top engineering schools, so he can speak to all aspects of engineering. Whatever career in engineering you are seeking, he likely has experience!
• What makes a successful engineer? As a professor, Zack works daily with first-year engineering students. He has advised them from high school through undergraduate experiences, internships, first full-time job, and even MS/PhD graduation. CollegeAdvisor.com works to help you get into top schools; further, Zack knows what will make you successful once there.
• Engineering admissions. When Zack worked at an engineering-focused medical school he defined the admissions criteria for engineering. This work has given him great insight into not just the what, but the why behind admissions decisions.
• Engineering excellence. Zack has been awarded with multiple teaching fellowships to enhance engineering education. He has been awarded over a dozen times as a top instructor on campus. He has not only exceeded in teaching and advising, but in research as well. He has publications in top engineering journals like Acta Biomaterialia, and been received national-level grants, so his wordcraft will help with your essays succeed.

Whether you're just starting to explore engineering or finalizing your application, he has worked with thousands of engineering students, and he is eager to help you too.

Hello, my name is Roystone Martinez, and I graduated from Boston College in May of 2002 with a Bachelor of Art in Human Development, with a Theater Minor and a Black Studies Concentration. While at BC, I was heavily involved in student affairs, and served as President of the Organization of Latin American Affairs, received the Archbishop Oscar Romero Leadership Scholarship, and worked in the office of undergraduate admission, where I found my passion for this work. I went to Harvard University immediately after undergrad. I obtained a Education Masters in Administration, Planning & Social Policy to explore how colleges can do a better job of recruiting, retaining, and graduating first generation, low-income, students of color. Upon graduation, I entered Higher Ed and worked for several years, serving in roles in admission, student affairs, and first-generation student support. I went back to school and obtained a second Masters of Art in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University. My research focus then was to learn the intricacies of young gay men of color and how schools could serve as safe havens given the proper scaffolds. As a first-generation student who was admitted to several elite institutions with minimal assistance, it is my life’s mission to help students and their families navigate the overwhelming competitive college admissions process.

After completing an undergraduate degree and graduate degree in business and working in industry for several years, I began my career in higher education as a faculty member at Mary Baldwin College. I served as an Assistant Professor of Business at Mary Baldwin College as well as St. Andrews Presbyterian College, both are small church related liberal arts schools, and I fully enjoyed and value the residential liberal arts experience. I joined the University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce as an Assistant Dean of Students in 1990. McIntire has consistently been rated as one of the top undergraduate business schools globally while UVA has consistently been rated as a top public research institution. During my time at UVA, I served in a variety of roles related to student development, student services and admission and founded the first Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the McIntire School of Commerce, serving as the first Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at McIntire. I served for over twenty years as the Director of Undergraduate Admission, advising and counseling students as well as reading, reviewing and making decisions on admission applications. I was a member of the University Undergraduate Admission Committee for over a decade and love working with prospective college students to help them find the right program, school and location for their higher education journey. I developed and taught a very popular University Seminar for first year students on Managing Diversity and was instrumental in the founding of the McIntire Commerce Cohort program which supports and guides first and second year students interested in pursuing a degree and career in business. I have extensive knowledge, experience and a passion for working with students from diverse backgrounds including first generation, low income and under-represented. As the parent of three young adults all with college degrees, I understand the challenges, anxiety and joy of parenting through the college search and application process. Finding the best college should be viewed as an individual process of self-reflection, learning and exploration not a contest or competition. I'm excited to support students through this journey!

Hi there! My name is Renee and I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Affairs from Northeastern University where I minored in both Business Administration and Social Entrepreneurship. I then furthered my studies at University College London and hold a Master of Arts in Education and International Development. After living and working in Cape Town, South Africa after the completion of my graduate studies, I have spent the past five years with Philadelphia Futures, an organization that provides low-income, first-generation-to-college students with the tools, resources, and opportunities necessary for admission to and success in college. Within my role as Senior Coordinator, I advised a caseload of 45 students and their families by sharing tools to help students find their best fit college and create a strong admissions plan. I have led admissions process and programming for these students by planning, executing and tracking all activities related to both their college admissions application and their financial aid application as well. This has included the FAFSA, CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE completion, as well as postsecondary list-building and postsecondary decision-making processes. My previous students have been admitted to a varied and diverse list of mid-range and highly selective institutions, such as Stanford, Penn, Vanderbilt, Boston University, and John Hopkins. I have worked with students who have pursued a degree in a wide range of majors including the Arts and Humanities, Business, and STEM as well. As such, I am well versed in the requirements and expectations of a wide variety of academic disciplines. Looking at my work from a financial aid perspective, I have decreased my students cash gap by an average of $25K or more per student, often to as low as $0. Additionally, I have helped students access and secure an average of $100K in external scholarships as well. As the college admissions landscape is continually shifting, I pride myself in staying up to date on the latest trends and data by attending various professional development opportunities including attending counselor information sessions, well as fly-in events across campuses around the country. I am also a NACAC and PACAC member as a classified independent educational consultant. Within this space, I have stewarded strong relationships with college admissions staff to advocate for my students and their families. Education has the power to be transformative. I know the college admissions process can feel overwhelming, but I’m dedicated to empowering students on their educational journey! I will leave no stone unturned and will provide the necessary expertise to help students live up to their greatest potential!

Hi! I have a B.A. in Government from Harvard University and earned an M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University. Alongside a career as a professional musician and songwriter, I have worked as the associate director of college counseling for a highly rigorous independent school for 11 years. I have counseled students who have gone on to matriculate at Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MIT, Cal Tech, Dartmouth, Vanderbilt, Brown, Emory, and many other top colleges across the country.

Hi! My name is Renbin. I grew up in Shanghai, China and moved to San Francisco, CA when I was 15. I went to a small public high school in SF. I did my B.S. and MEng degree at MIT, majoring in Computer Science and Engineering with a concentration in AI and applied machine learning. I applied to QuestBridge and became their finalist. I was admitted to MIT through Early Action and Stanford through Regular Decision. I now work as a machine learning scientist at Flexport. My strongest suit with the college admission process is personal statement brainstorming and giving advice for students who would like to pursue computer science major. I am particularly interested in working with students who are first-gen/low-income.

I hold my B.S. from the University of California Berkeley where I was a pre-medical student. While at Berkeley, I was heavily involved in clinical healthcare, and at various points, I held the titles of EMT, Sports Medicine Intern, and Orthopedic Clinical Assistant & Scribe. I hold my Master of Business & Science with a concentration in Biotechnology Management from Keck Graduate Institute at The Claremont Colleges. I also hold a Certificate of Bioscience Industry Law & Practice through a competitive transfer program with Southwestern Law School. In the near future, I intend to apply to top-tier MBA programs where I specifically hope to attend Stanford's Graduate School of Business. I spent 2 years advising undergraduate students applying to health profession programs as a Pre-Health Peer through UC Berkeley's Career Center. During grad school, I spent one year advising graduate students applying to full-time and internship positions in the life science industry as a Graduate Assistant through KGI's Career Services Center. While I'm equipped to help students navigate the curricular demands and extracurricular expectations of a variety of academic disciplines, I am best positioned to help students secure admission to competitive STEM programs because of my academic and professional background. I'm uniquely passionate about working with underrepresented high school students. Having grown up in East LA to a teenage single mother, I remember what it was like to navigate the complicated college admission process by myself. As your senior college advisor, I want to ensure that you feel guided and supported in your path-to-college process and beyond.

I hold a B.A from University of Florida in Classics ('14) and graduated from the Honors Program with Cum Laude. I hold my M.S in Educational Studies from Johns Hopkins University ('16). I am currently a Doctoral Candidate in Educational Technology in the Doctor of Education program, with an expected completion in 2023. After graduating from the University of Florida, I served as a Teach for America Corps Member in Jacksonville, Florida. After serving for two years, I became an Admissions Officer within the University of Florida Outreach and Recruitment team and served within this role from 2016 - 2021. I served as a program coordinator facilitating newly admitted student events, served on various committees, and worked with students and families from across the world. I currently work as an Academic & Career Advisor at the University of Florida within the Heavener School of Business, and in this capacity, I serve online students primary and oversee the orientation process. I love working with students from all types of backgrounds and consider myself a lifelong educator. For personal hobbies, I enjoy gaming through playing RTS and MOBA games such as Starcraft and League of Legends. I also enjoy traveling, and have been to England, Greece, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Colombia, and I hope to double the number of countries that I've traveled to within the next 2-4 years! I believe that College Admissions can be an incredibly crucial stage in a student's life in navigating a process that can sometimes be overwhelming, and my goal as a Former Admissions Officer with College Advisor is to help demystify and guide my students towards putting their best foot forward and achieving success throughout their application process. Ultimately, I hope to help my students gain acceptance into a multitude of universities and attend one which they find to be the best fit for their educational journey.

I recently graduated Cum Laude from Princeton University with a bachelor's in public policy and international Affairs and a certificate in American Studies. During my time at Princeton, I was an advisor for Matriculate on campus where I guided high achieving high school students to entry at top universities and colleges through essay workshopping and applicant consulting. Prior to College Advisor, I have worked with another mentoring agency directed towards international students seeking to develop writing and personal aspect of their application such as personal statements, resumes, supplement essays, and college interviews. I also worked as an academic coach for a company that uses teaching techniques to help bright students with learning difficulties and conquer their academic struggles. This experience exposed me to varying learning and working styles to elevate the performance of bright students with great potential. I have worked with students who major in the Arts and Humanities, Communications and Media Studies, Computer Science, Engineering, Pre-Law/Political Science, and Gender and Sexuality Studies. My mission while advising is to bring any student to life on paper while making the experience as enjoyable as possible for the student, the family, and eventually the admission officer that eventually receives the final product. Applying to college can be overwhelming, but maintaining a healthy mindset and figuring out an approach that works for you can make the experience as exciting as approaching this new chapter in life should be. I am currently working as a Technical Account Manager at an Education Software company based in New York and aspire to attend law school in the future. My love for education started in my home in Jersey City, NJ as I helped my busy parents with homework as I balanced my own pursuit for a higher education and my extracurriculars. Outside of academics and career interests, I enjoy rollerskating, reading, and spending time with friends having interesting conversations and making fun memories in the city.

I joined the Yale School of Public Health as Assistant Director of Admissions in 2015, during which time I spent time reviewing applications, advising prospective students, guiding admissions review teams, and traveling with partner schools around the country. I moved to a new role as Associate Director of Student Affairs and Registrar in 2018, and then finally to my current position as Director of Student Affairs and Registrar in 2020. In my current role, I continue to stay in touch with our admissions team; advise current students; develop and maintain student affairs procedures, policies and projects; and manage relevant educational technology and systems. Outside of my work at Yale, I taught in the Public Health Department at Southern Connecticut State University until 2021. As a first-generation college student, I have a passion for advising young scholars around their career and college interests and am excited to be working with students on their educational journeys.