Tulane University

Hello! I am Linda Ayala, and I am excited to work with y'all! I graduated from Syracuse University with a B.A. in Sociology and Policy Studies in 2016. I have worked with public, charter and private schools for the past 4 years to guide mainly first-generation students through the college application process.

I am a current senior at Dartmouth College and will be graduating in June of 2024 with a B.S. in Neuroscience and a double minor in Global Health in Anthropology and Human Biology in the pre-medical track. I am also a proud QuestBridge Scholar and Hispanic Scholarship Fund Scholar, both amazing programs that have guided, supported, and funded my undergraduate experience. In addition, in July of 2024, I will be starting medical school at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth as an early assurance MD candidate. Consequently, I have plenty of tips and hidden knowledge to share with anybody interested in these highly selective programs and scholarships, as well as the pre-health track, and would love to connect with anybody interested in exploring these opportunities and/or paths! In terms of my advising and mentorship experience, I began tutoring for regular subjects in early high school and later, during the latter half of my junior year, I tutored for the ACT and SAT. Today, I continue this work, but have also been working as a college counselor since June of 2020. Through my 5+ years of experience, I have learned to form close connections with my students as a student myself, meeting them where they are while guiding and supporting them through their college-preparation and application processes. In the past 3 years, I have worked with over 15 students in their college application process, all of which have received at least 3 college acceptances and most of which have been accepted into some of the most competitive colleges and universities in the country. While some of these students have been interested in the pre-health track, I have also worked with various students interested in law, engineering, computer science, humanities, performing arts, aviation, finance, business and entrepreneurship, and psychology. This has offered me the opportunity to become familiar with different colleges that have specialized programs as well as unique scholarships that students interested in certain academic areas can take advantage of! With my years of experience in the field in addition to my personal successes, I am knowledgeable of the curricular demands and extracurricular expectations of various disciplines. Furthermore, I have also had the privilege of working with 2 international students! Working with them helped me grasp the perspective of applying to college in the US as an international student, considering the financial, academic, lingual, and sociocultural challenges that come with being a foreigner. All in all, I am extremely passionate about mentoring and advising students who are going through what can be a very overwhelming and challenging process. I love listening to stories, asking inquisitive questions, giving constructive feedback, and forming close relationships with those I work with. Working hand in hand with both the students and their families, I hope to serve as a good resource that can answer questions, settle uncertainties, and find solutions. With these and the many more tools I have put under my belt, I help students figure out how to best express their goals based on their interests, talents, and values and guide them in effectively sharing their story - their who and why - to curate a wholesome and impressive application.