University of California – Davis

I recently graduated honors student from the University of California, Berkeley with a bachelor's in Ethnic Studies, Legal Studies, and Chicanx/Latinx Studies. During my time at Cal, 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. Before College Advisor, I worked with another grassroots mentoring program HYPHEE by the Raices center directed towards Latinx students seeking to develop writing and personal aspects of their applications such as personal statements, resumes, supplement essays, and college interviews. I also worked as a writing tutor for the Student Learning Center or SLC at Berkeley, I aided non-native English speakers in writing essays, developing a thesis, and correcting and teaching basic grammar rules, citations, and argument structure. 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, Biology, Pre-Law/Political Science, and Gender and Sexuality Studies. My mission while advising is to make the student feel confident and comfortable throughout the college application process. I truly aim 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 who 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 Legal Assistant at an Employment Law company based in San Fransisco and aspire to attend law school in the future. My love for education started in my home in Modesto, CA, as I helped my busy parents with taking care of my siblings as I balanced my pursuit of higher education and my extracurriculars. Outside of academics and career interests, I enjoy being outside, being around animals, reading, spending time with friends having interesting conversations, and making fun memories in the city.

I have a Bachelor of Science from the University of California, Berkeley. More specifically, my degree is from the College of Natural Resources. I majored in Conservation and Resource Studies with a concentration in Climate Science under the Environmental Science, Policy, and Management department. As an undergraduate student I was a Program Facilitator at the Lawrence Hall of Science and I interned for the National Science Foundation, performing climate science research in conjunction with meteorology and ecological anthropology faculty at Penn State. In addition to this, I worked part-time for a bay area nonprofit focused on the conservation of California's old growth forests. After graduating in 2021, I decided to go in a different direction than my field of study. I accepted a role as a corporate recruiter for the top data science and analytics recruitment firm in San Francisco. I quickly promoted to Senior Consultant, but confirmed my suspicion that corporate life was not aligned with my interests. As a result, I left this position and became an independent contractor. I find working with students in an advising capacity fulfilling, because I know the impact high-level support can have on a student's journey through the application process. I vividly remember how important acceptance into a fitting program felt when I was in that stage of life, so I have a lot of empathy for students who are currently applying to universities. I understand the path is not always straight forward or easy. I pride myself in my attention to detail and my wide range of knowledge. Over the past eight years I've developed a significant level of expertise in regard to recruitment trends and process, and I've developed unique insights from both personal and professional experience.

Hello, my name is Sidra! I am a Second Year OB/GYN Resident. In high school, I decided I wanted to pursue medicine. I went to University of California: Davis, to embark on my Pre-Med Journey and graduated in 2017. I am excited to share my passion for medicine with you but also show you other ways you can help people outside of medicine.
Expertise: Pre Med Advising, Pre Health Advising, Interview Preparation, Resume Review, and Academic and Career Counseling.
Looking forward to supporting your journey!

Hi! I’m Adonis, a 3rd-year PhD student studying Immunology at Stanford University School of Medicine. I graduated from Stanford in 2021 with a degree in Biology, focusing on microbes and immunity. Initially, I entered college as a pre-med student and completed the first two years of pre-med coursework before discovering my passion for biomedical sciences and deciding to pursue a PhD. Throughout my undergraduate years, I conducted research on viruses and vaccines at renowned institutions, including Stanford, the Pasteur Institute in France, the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub in San Francisco, and Genentech. These experiences have given me a deep understanding of the field and a global perspective on biomedical research. Before joining CollegeAdvisor, I worked at CollegeVine for two years, where I helped students secure admissions to prestigious schools like Stanford, Brown, and UC Berkeley. I’m here to answer your questions about the college application process, campus life, interviews, internships, studying abroad, and more. I’m excited to meet you all and am committed to being highly accessible as we work together to find your dream school!

I am a proud former first-generation college student who is now a first-generation professional. I have 6+ years of professional experience working with students and their families to navigate the higher education system. I recently (within the last 5 years) obtained a master's degree in education with an emphasis in Student Affairs from UCLA. I attended University of California, Berkeley for my undergraduate education and my major was Psychology with a minor in Chicano Studies. My passion is to assist students and their families on their higher education journey. A skill I feel I have while working with students is truly listening to their wants and needs and adapting my advising from there. I approach my work by honoring my students' lived experiences. On a one-on-one basis I’ve assisted with creating college school lists, academic road mapping, how to choose and change a major, financial aid, and career prep. Outside of student affairs I enjoy reading, cycling, and spending time with my family and friends.

Hello, my name is Yesenia. I was the first in my family to attend college. I went to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and graduated with a degree in Psychology with a minor in Labor and Workplace Studies. I then earned a Master's Degree from California State University, Long Beach in Counseling - Option in Student Development in Higher Education. I am passionate about helping students with their higher educational goals to ensure they are able to get accepted, attend, and ultimately graduate from college to obtain a fulfilling career. For the past 10 years, I have been working in college access and success programs and have served hundreds of students with their college-going journey! It would be a pleasure and a privilege to support you in your goals. Let's work together to make that goal a reality!

I graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from UC Davis in 2001. From there, I obtained my P.P.S. School counseling credential from CSU Stanislaus and a M.P.A. from University of Arizona's global campus. I have always had the desire to continue learning, which is why world travel and immersing myself in other countries has been a big part of my life. I have had the opportunity to live, work and travel through many different countries and have enjoyed volunteering for NGO's in both Bolivia and Cambodia. I have been a school counselor in California for over 15 years. My favorite part of the job is assisting students meet and exceed goals, especially when it comes to post-secondary planning. I look forward to being able to assist you with the entire process: planning, exploring, and applying for university, financial aid and scholarships. I've acquired a lot of knowledge over the years and I am excited to be a part of your journey!

I graduated in 2018 with my B.S. degree in neuroscience from UCLA with departmental honors. I worked as a peer counselor helping STEM students with their admissions applications and essays to research universities. I led workshops on research opportunities, internships, and how to succeed as a STEM major. I also completed a senior thesis project using MRI brain scans to analyze how the brain responds to treatments for depression. This ignited a love for medical research and I worked for two years on research projects at UCLA studying early brain markers for autism in infants younger than three. This work has been published in major neuroscience research journals. I decided to become an academic counselor because I wanted to use my passion for education to help students achieve their educational and career goals. I love helping STEM students because I relate to their excitement for finding new ways to make the world a better place by using research, technology, and science. I am dedicated to helping future doctors, scientists, engineers, and researchers. As an academic counselor I have helped students on their Common App and University of California (UC) applications, admissions essays, and advised them on internship, volunteer, and research opportunities. Students who I have worked with have received admissions offers from University of Miami, Loyola Marymount University, and many UC schools. I’ve also read scholarship and admissions essays for UCLA as an alumni volunteer. I love being a college advisor because it is such a joy to sit alongside students as they grow, learn, and explore more about themselves during the college admissions process. It is so rewarding to be able to use my counseling skills to empower students to uncover their passions and strengths. Whether it is helping them through multiple drafts of their admissions essays, consulting on extracurricular activity opportunities, or advising on each portion of the application portal, I meet the needs of my students by getting to know them as individuals. I value positivity, creativity, dependability, and having a growth mindset.

I have dedicated 15 years of providing outreach, opportunity, and access to students who find their why during the confusing college application process. I was once an unsure high school student, yet I knew that college was one of my many goals. I attended University of California, Davis, where I earned my Bachelor of Science in Community and Regional Development. During my time at UC Davis, I worked with high schools in Sacramento as a College Advisor for the University of California. Once I matriculated, I continued my work as a College Advisor. After 2 years in outreach, I moved to Miami and taught English for 2 years. I decided to return to my hometown of San Francisco and led a Junior Seminar class, while also serving as the school’s College Counselor. I left the classroom and took the opportunity to work with the University of California San Francisco’s Center for Science, Education & Outreach. I directed internships for high school students in the San Francisco Bay Area to conduct research under the faculty in the fields of Medicine, Physical Therapy, Nursing, and Dentistry. I had the dual role of working with high schools in the San Francisco Bay Area, as the Lead Outreach Coordinator and University of California representative. I earned my Masters of Arts in Organization and Leadership from the University of San Francisco and I am currently the founding Director of San Francisco State’s Latinx Student Center. My passion is to guide students as they find their voice, their why, and their confidence in this process. The students I have worked with have been awarded various scholarships, fellowships, and admissions to prestigious Universities. However, what makes me most proud is knowing that students remember that they have a guide through this process.