Former Ivy League admissions officers. Harvard PhDs. Nationally recognized Admissions Strategists. Our team is made up of some of the most trusted and experienced professionals in college admissions — each one deeply committed to helping your student stand out and succeed.
With decades of experience inside the most selective institutions in the world — including Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, and Duke — our admissions strategists bring unmatched expertise and empathy to every advising relationship.
Whether your student is applying to the Ivy League, top STEM programs, liberal arts colleges, or competitive state schools, they’ll be guided by someone who knows exactly how admissions decisions are made — because they’ve made them.
We don’t just polish essays. We challenge students to think deeply, lead boldly, and tell their stories with clarity and confidence. The result? Applications that feel strategic, personal, and impossible to ignore.
Founder of Admittedly
Director of Marketing
Director of Programs & Strategy
Director of HR
Director of College Counseling
Director of Student Success & Operations
Revenue Operations Manager & Strategist
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Student Success Coordinator
Student Success Coordinator
Student Success Coordinator
Operational Success Coordinator
Senior Strategic Operations Manager
Founder of Admittedly | Former Director of MBA Admissions & Financial Aid for The Wharton School, UPenn
Through accessible education, advising programs, and expert guidance, Admittedly helps students and families make smarter admissions decisions with confidence.
Before founding Admittedly, Thomas spent more than 20 years shaping admissions strategy at the highest levels of education. As the former Director of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, he reviewed tens of thousands of applications and made final admissions decisions for one of the world’s most selective business schools. He has also advised governments, universities, and educational organizations on admissions strategy and holistic application review.
Today, Thomas is a leading voice on college admissions strategy, regularly educating families through podcasts, webinars, speaking engagements, and digital media while leading a team of former admissions officers and education experts at Admittedly. Together, they help students develop thoughtful application strategies grounded in authenticity, intellectual curiosity, and long-term growth.
Thomas attended The Taft School, earned his B.A. in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania, and his MBA from the Wharton School. He has also served on the Board of the Wharton Club of San Francisco and the Wharton Graduate Executive Board.
Thomas is a man of many adventures: he has played competitive international polo and snow polo; walked on the dome of the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow; worked as a farm hand at a piggery; swam with sharks in Alaska; and once played the Admissions Fairy in the Wharton Follies.
She specializes in advising founder-led businesses on premium positioning, organic audience growth, and multi-channel content strategy, helping visionary entrepreneurs translate their expertise into brands that resonate deeply with their ideal audiences.
Throughout her career, Natasha has developed a sharp instinct for identifying what makes a brand compelling and crafting the strategic framework to bring that vision to life. Her approach blends data-driven marketing with authentic storytelling, ensuring that every touchpoint, from social media content to brand messaging, reflects a cohesive and elevated identity. She has a proven track record of growing engaged communities organically, leveraging platforms including Instagram, TikTok, podcasting, and long-form editorial content to build loyal audiences without relying on paid advertising.
Natasha’s unique strength lies in her ability to bridge strategy and execution. She understands the nuances of content creation from the inside out, having built her own brands from the ground up and cultivated a dedicated following across multiple platforms. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Huffington Post, Everyday Health, and Bold Journey Magazine, underscoring her credibility as both a practitioner and a thought leader in the brand-building space.
Based in Santa Barbara, California, Natasha partners with founders who are ready to elevate their brand presence, deepen audience connection, and scale with intention. She is passionate about helping purpose-driven businesses stand out in crowded markets through strategic clarity and compelling content.
Sonam’s admissions journey began at Duke University, where she served with the Duke College Advising Corps and subsequently worked in the undergraduate admissions office as a Senior Admissions Officer. Since leaving Duke during the COVID-19 pandemic, she continues to read hundreds of applications annually, and loves keeping up with the evolving trends in highly selective admissions and higher ed. Her students have been admitted to all of the T100 and she specializes in the T25.
Sonam earned her BA from Duke University, and completed her MBA from Rice University on a full-ride as a prestigious Consortium and Forté Fellow. For her MBA internship, she interned with Amazon Web Services (AWS) as a Technical PM in Seattle. She has spoken on highly selective admissions throughout North and South America, Asia, and the Caribbean.
Sonam was born and raised in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, which is home to the very best beaches in the world.
She specializes in HR strategy, leadership development, talent management, and organizational growth, partnering closely with executives to align people initiatives with business objectives.
Bethany is passionate about creating thoughtful employee experiences, empowering leaders, and building organizations where people and businesses succeed together.
Every cycle, she looks forward to working with students, college counseling and admission colleagues throughout the county and around the world. As a full-time admission officer for 12 years, Megan traveled to high schools across the United States and throughout Asia, Latin America, and the UAE. She has been a member of the National Association of College Admission Counseling for 14 years and is a former Government Relations Committee member for the International Association of College Admission Counseling.
After working at her alma mater as an Assistant Director of Admission for Skidmore College, Megan moved abroad and lived in Asia and Europe for 7 years. She called Beijing home for five years, where she worked as a teacher and then as the editor for the American Chamber of Commerce in China. She left Asia for graduate school in Europe, where she attended the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS ) and graduated with her master’s degree in international public policy.
At Colorado College, Megan served as Associate Director of Admission, Coordinator of International Admission, where she led international admission strategy and reviewed thousands of applications for nearly a decade. She chaired, presented, and reviewed applications as a voting member of admission committees and worked in enrollment leadership for nine years.
Megan also reads applications for Johns Hopkins University SAIS.
Shane brings deep experience from both sides of the admissions process: as a Stanford admissions officer and as a college counselor at the Dalton School, one of the most prestigious independent schools in the country. Across nearly a decade in the field, Shane has helped students earn offers from Stanford, Harvard, Penn, Yale, Pomona, USC, and more.
At Stanford, Shane evaluated thousands of applications and led the QuestBridge Match process, while also serving as a key liaison between admissions and various campus centers. He conducted specialized reviews for transfers, athletes, and students with complex or sensitive personal contexts, giving him a rare skillset in framing non-traditional narratives with impact.
On the counseling side, Shane spent four years as Associate Director of College Counseling at the Dalton School in NYC, where he guided high-achieving students through hyper-competitive admissions with empathy, insight, and accountability.
Before joining Admittedly, Matt was consulting with multiple fast-growing companies, helping them scale their sales and operations. After seeing Admittedly’s mission and the world-class team Thomas was building, he made the decision to go all in.
Matt joined as Admittedly’s founding Enrollment Specialist, working directly with hundreds of students and families. That frontline experience gave him a deep understanding of what families need most. As Admittedly grew, his role evolved. Today, he leads strategic initiatives across CRM, AI, automation, analytics, and revenue operations, building the systems that empower Admittedly’s world-class counseling team to work with the right families around the world.
Admissions Strategist | Former Senior Admissions Officer, Harvard University | MBA, UT Austin
Devery brings unmatched admissions expertise to the table. As a former Senior Admissions Officer at Harvard and application reader for UC Berkeley, she has evaluated thousands of applications and helped students gain admission to the most selective colleges in the country.
Devery earned her BA in Romance Languages and Social Anthropology from Harvard, and later completed her MBA at UT Austin’s McCombs School of Business on a prestigious Consortium Fellowship. She’s also served as an admissions strategist at one of the nation’s top independent high schools, and has supported students through organizations like College Track, SEO Scholars, and IDEA Public Schools.
Devery lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her partner and two dogs. A South Texas native and proud Latina, she’s constantly on the hunt for the best tacos in Northern California (and has strong opinions).
Admissions Strategist | Former Admissions Reader, Duke Fuqua School of Business | Former Admissions Reader, Ohio State University | M.Ed., North Carolina State University
Markita brings a rare combination of admissions insight, strategic communications expertise, and deep student support experience. She’s helped students gain admission to Columbia, Duke, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Howard, and Ohio State, among others, with a proven track record of helping underrepresented students break through.
Markita has reviewed applications at both The Ohio State University and Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, giving her unique perspective across educational pathways. She also held student success leadership roles at Carnegie Mellon and NC State, where she supported high-achieving students from limited-resource backgrounds.
Markita plays piano (eight years and counting!), loves live music, and is always on the hunt for new food spots in town.
Admissions Strategist | B.A., Harvard University | M.S., University College London
George is a dedicated strategist, mentor, and storyteller who’s spent the last decade guiding students from six continents into the most selective U.S. and U.K. universities. From Harvard and Stanford to Oxford, Cambridge, and LSE, George helps students develop an authentic path, and articulate it with power, clarity, and joy.
George holds a Sociology degree from Harvard and an MSc in Public Policy from UCL. He’s worked exclusively as an admissions strategist since graduation, advising students ages 11-18 on both strategy and self-discovery. His signature strength: helping students identify what truly drives them, and then crafting compelling narratives and projects that stand out globally.
George lives between New York, London, and Amsterdam, where he also works as a visual storyteller. A lifelong learner, his next creative venture is learning how to design and make his own clothes.
Senior Counselor | Former Admissions Reader, Princeton University | B.A., Barnard College | M.S., Columbia
Kirsten’s admissions journey began at Princeton University, where she evaluated applications from across the globe with a focus on New York City. Over the past seven years, she has reviewed thousands of applications and guided ambitious students toward acceptances at the Ivy League, Ivy+, and other top 30 institutions. Her career spans sectors as diverse as Wall Street, humanitarian nonprofits, journalism, and higher education, giving her a uniquely well-rounded perspective on storytelling, achievement, and authenticity in college admissions.
With professional roots in communications and branding, Kirsten brings a storyteller’s instinct to every advising relationship. She helps students capture the essence of who they are, and what they’ve accomplished, in a narrative that is both compelling and instantly understood by admissions officers. Her mantra: lean into the truth, and be excellent at what makes you you.
Kirsten once navigated all of Eastern Europe in the late 1990s using her high school and college German, proving that in an emergency, the brain remembers what really matters.
Admissions Strategist | Former Admission Coordinator, Harvard University | Former Googler | B.A., Harvard University
A Harvard graduate and former Harvard Admission Coordinator, Benito has spent two decades helping students gain admission to the world’s most selective institutions, including Ivy League schools, top STEM programs, and selective liberal arts colleges.
Benito’s background spans both top-tier admissions and high-performance roles at Google across Sales, HR, and engEDU. His international advising experience includes students from the U.S., Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and Latin America, each with their own unique aspirations, strengths, and challenges.
Benito has traveled to 45 countries and lived on five continents, including Seoul, Cape Town, Oahu, and Buenos Aires. Fluent in Spanish and conversational in Korean and Japanese, he believes great storytelling is shaped by how we experience the world, a philosophy that infuses every aspect of his advising.
Admissions Strategist | Former Head Teaching Fellow, Harvard University | Artificial Intelligence Consultant | Ph.D., Harvard University | B.S., Cornell University
Dr. Sergey’s students have been accepted to Stanford, Princeton, Brown, Vanderbilt, Cornell, NYU, UC Berkeley, UChicago, and more, with applications that reflect both intellectual depth, academic rigor, and personal authenticity.
Dr. Sergey earned his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Harvard, where he also completed a secondary field in Film & Media Studies. During his time there, he served as Head Teaching Fellow and faculty across multiple departments, earning multiple awards for excellence in teaching and advising.
Dr. Sergey is an avid cinephile who tracks down rare 35mm screenings, explores New York’s contemporary art scene, and enjoys multilingual conversations that connect people and cultures.
Admissions Strategist | Former Assistant Director of Admission, Harvey Mudd College | B.A., Pitzer College | Ed.M., University of Hawai’i at Manoa
Misa has supported thousands of students through the college admissions process, with successful admits to Stanford, Yale, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, and more. She offers a welcomed dual perspective, having evaluated applications on the admissions side for top SLACs and coached students on the counseling side across elite schools and programs.
Formerly Assistant Director of Admission at Harvey Mudd College, one of the top STEM institutions in the U.S., Misa is especially skilled at helping STEM-driven students position themselves as multidimensional candidates with both technical rigor and human depth.
Misa is an avid traveler always on the hunt for great food, tranquil waters, and world-class duty-free shopping.
Admissions Strategist | Former Head of Upper School, Crane Country Day School | Former Director of Studies, Cate School | Ed.D., UCLA | M.A.T., Brown University
Peggy brings unmatched experience as a middle school Head of Students, college Admissions Strategist, and director of studies at elite California independent schools. She’s served on middle and high school admissions committees and conducted alumni interviews at the college level, offering students and families rare insight into the full admissions pipeline.
Peggy holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from UCLA and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Brown University. Her career spans decades of working directly with students, parents, teachers, administrators, and boards, giving her an intuitive sense of how to build strategy, trust, and alignment throughout the admissions process.
Peggy’s children had her as their middle school principal — and somehow, they all still talk! She lives with her husband, a lifelong boarding school teacher, on a high school campus where home and school blend seamlessly.
College Admissions Strategist | B.S., Duke University | M.B.A Deferred Admit, Columbia University Business School
Though officially starting his counseling career in 2024, Jason has already helped over 15 students earn admission to Stanford, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Georgia Tech, Michigan, UC Berkeley, and UCLA, building on years of informal advising that led to early admits at Harvard, UPenn, and Brown.
A 2024 graduate of Duke University in Computer Science and Statistics, Jason was also admitted to Columbia Business School through their competitive deferred MBA cohort. He previously worked as a software engineer at Amazon and AWS, and now blends that analytical rigor and experience in big tech with a human-centered approach to admissions coaching.
Jason has traveled to six of the seven continents, with Antarctica next on his list.
Admissions Strategist | B.A. Brown University | M.S., Columbia University | M.A., University of Leicester in UK
Catherine brings over a decade of university counseling experience from the American Section of the Lycée International, France’s oldest and most prestigious public school, founded by Eisenhower in 1952. Since 2011, she has helped students gain admission to top universities across the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and continental Europe. With degrees from Brown, Columbia, and Leicester, she combines Ivy League insight with a global mindset on postsecondary planning.
Whether guiding students toward Stanford, Sciences Po, or a small liberal arts college in Canada, Catherine is deeply committed to helping each student define what they want from their university experience. Her advising style is both grounded and aspirational: she pushes students to explore tailored programs aligned with their goals while ensuring they see higher education as the beginning of their journey, not the end.
Catherine’s favorite part of the day? Quiet mornings walking her dog in the woods — but don’t tell her family that.
College Admissions Strategist | Former Undergraduate and Transfer Admissions, Cornell University | Academic Advisor, Cornell University | B.A., Tufts University
Reid has over 20+ years of experience in higher education, including 15 years in college admissions. Reid has worked as an application reviewer and admissions strategist at various institutions including Cornell, a small private art school, and a liberal arts college. While at Cornell, Reid specialized in transfer student applicants, including working with students through the process of not receiving acceptances they had hoped for and assisting students to improve their application as they prepared for transfer.
As a admissions strategist, Reid focused on helping students to understand why they were applying to Cornell and to focus on how their individual interests and desires could be met there, and using that to create a clear and strong narrative in their application to promote a positive outcome.
Currently Reid works full-time as an Academic Advisor at Cornell where he is continually sharpening his student-centered skills while helping them to navigate toward the outcomes they desire.
Reid has participated in more than 20 professional art shows including individual gallery shows and National Portfolio Day.
Admissions Strategist | Former Admissions Officer, Duke University | Emory MBA Candidate
Fausto brings a strategic yet deeply personal approach to the admissions process, built on years of experience as an essay coach, test prep instructor, and admissions officer. His students have earned admission to top Ivy+ universities like Duke and UPenn, and leading STEM institutions like Georgia Tech and Carnegie Mellon.
Fausto began his career helping students strengthen their SAT/ACT skills and build standout essays. In 2020, he pivoted to public health, leading COVID-19 response operations, and later returned to undergraduate admissions as an Assistant Director at Duke University. There, he oversaw international outreach across Latin America and APAC. He’s now pursuing his MBA at Emory’s Goizueta Business School, further sharpening the analytical and communication skills he brings to every student partnership.
Fausto has ridden water buffaloes in northeast Brazil and once won a taco eating contest, a skill he insists will always be useful.
College Admissions Strategist | B.S., UPenn Wharton School of Business | M.F.A., Columbia University | M.Ed., University of Hong Kong
Catherine brings a rare blend of storytelling precision, business strategy, and mentorship to the admissions process. With over 15 years of experience spanning brand management, film production, communications, and education, she’s helped students across the globe earn admission to top U.S. institutions, including Princeton, Columbia, Northwestern, UC Berkeley, and Carnegie Mellon.
Catherine holds a BS in Economics from the Wharton School at Penn, an MFA in Film from Columbia, and an MEd in Gifted Education from the University of Hong Kong. She’s previously worked in brand management at Nestlé, a producer on both Hollywood and indie films, and COO of a design startup. This unconventional path gives her a powerful lens for helping students find their voice, frame their strengths, and tell a story no admissions reader can ignore.
Catherine is a mom of twins, a passionate soccer fan — and once beat Jude Law in a soccer match. (Yes, really.)
Admissions Strategist | Former Assistant Dean Cornell University | B.S. Carnegie Mellon University
She brings more than 25 years of experience supporting students in higher education and career development, including 20+ years at Cornell University, where she helped thousands of students translate academic experiences into clear, credible futures across engineering, technology, finance, consulting, and the liberal arts. Her work is grounded in human development and how people grow through transitions.
She helps students navigate the college admissions process with clarity, confidence, and intention, so when they begin their next chapter, they can say “This is where I belong.”
This perspective allows her to help students and families see the full landscape – academic and professional development – rather than focusing narrowly on applications alone.
Christa prefers water to land. She loves swimming, kayaking, waterskiing, wakesurfing, windsailing, and cruising around to explore. Her dream is to live on a boat someday and cruise the Great Loop (Florida to Canada).
Admissions Strategist | Former Admissions Officer, Brown | B.A., Brown University
Mariama brings over a decade of experience in highly selective college admissions. As an admissions officer at Brown University, she reviewed applications from across the U.S. and internationally and read for Brown’s highly selective Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME), gaining firsthand insight into how top institutions evaluate both academic and pre-professional candidates.
She is known for her ability to look beyond grades and test scores to identify intellectual curiosity, character, and potential. In her work with students, she focuses on helping them build applications that are not only strong, but also thoughtful, cohesive, and true to who they are.
Mariama’s advising is grounded in listening. She takes the time to understand each student’s interests and perspective, then helps shape a clear narrative and build the evidence to support it. She is particularly focused on helping students avoid the “checklist” approach to activities, guiding them instead toward profiles that are both authentic and strategically aligned.
She works especially well with humanities students and STEM students with interdisciplinary interests, and brings specialized insight to students pursuing BS/MD and pre-med pathways.
A first-generation graduate with a strong interest in cultures and languages, Mariama enjoys reading, spending time by the water, and working on puzzles.
Admissions Strategist | Former Admissions Officer, USC & UW Foster School of Business | B.A., Vassar College | M.Ed., UCLA
Angelica brings experience from both undergraduate and graduate admissions, having worked at the University of Southern California (USC) and the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business. At USC, she reviewed applications across multiple regions, including California, Arizona, and Connecticut, while working within a centralized admissions model, giving her a deep understanding of how to position students across specialized and competitive programs.
Outside of admissions, Angelica worked in career and leadership development initiatives. At UW, she partnered with major tech companies including Google and F5 to create meaningful networking and professional development opportunities for students.
Angelica approaches admissions with both grounded strategy and curiosity, helping students zoom out to see the bigger picture—not just the next step, but how their college path connects to their long-term career goals.
Angelica lives in Portland, Oregon, where she is outnumbered at home by her two cats, Echo and Chunko, and two chihuahuas, Charlie and Luna. When she’s not binge-watching TV, you can find her at a comic-con cosplaying as Bo-Katan Kryze.
Admissions Strategist | Former Admissions Officer, Stanford | B.A., Stanford University
Becca’s deep-rooted understanding of the admissions landscape began at Stanford University, where she transitioned from a varsity student-athlete to a Senior Admission Officer. During her tenure in the admissions office, she evaluated thousands of applications from four distinct U.S. regions, gaining a rare, “behind-the-curtain” perspective on how one of the most selective universities in the world builds a class. Since then, she has dedicated her career to demystifying this process for families, working across private consulting and impactful nonprofits to ensure students from all backgrounds can navigate the journey with confidence and clarity.
Becca trades the fast-paced world of admissions for life on a cattle ranch in the Greater Sacramento area. When she isn’t working directly with students, she is likely managing a busy household of animals alongside her husband and daughter.
Admissions Strategist | Former Associate Director of Admissions, Haverford | B.A. Williams College, M.A. in Higher Education from the UMichigan-Ann Arbor
With an academic foundation from Williams College and the University of Michigan, Carly has spent her career mastering the intricacies of the elite admissions landscape. Her students benefit from her insider perspective as a former Associate Director of Admission at Haverford College, where she led key initiatives in application evaluation, athletic recruitment, and diversity outreach. Her expertise extends beyond the university gates; she has served as an application reader for Barnard College and prestigious national scholarship programs including Jack Kent Cooke, QuestBridge, and Coca-Cola.
A self-described admissions nerd, Carly is a thought leader in the field, frequently presenting at NACAC conferences on high-stakes topics like waitlist navigation and supplemental essay strategy. She is passionate about leveraging data-driven insights and the power of storytelling to help students translate their unique strengths into compelling, successful applications. Carly’s global perspective is rooted in her time as a Fulbright scholar in South Korea, an experience that fueled her commitment to intercultural exchange and mentorship.
Carly lived in Daegu, South Korea, as a Fulbright Grant recipient, an experience that launched her lifelong love of travel and intercultural exchange.
Admissions Strategist | Former Senior Admission Officer, Brown University | Former Higher Education Strategy & Operations Manager, Huron Consulting Group | MBA Candidate, Northwestern Kellogg | B.A., Bowdoin College
Caty is a former Ivy League admissions officer and higher education strategy consultant currently pursuing her MBA at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. As a Senior Admission Officer at Brown University, she evaluated domestic, international, and transfer applications and was recognized for her thoughtfulness and warmth with applicants. She also served as an Athletics Liaison, supporting the admissions process for more than 200 prospective student-athletes.
Most recently, Caty spent several years at Huron partnering with more than 30 institutions, including Ivy League and top-50 universities, on enrollment strategy, strategic planning, and academic optimization. Working directly with presidents, provosts, and cabinet-level leaders, she saw firsthand how enrollment decisions shape institutional success. That dual vantage point—inside an admissions office and advising universities at the strategic level—gives Caty a rare, 360-degree understanding of what top institutions are truly looking for in future students.
Caty’s counseling philosophy centers on strategic storytelling: helping students identify what makes them genuinely compelling and articulate it with clarity, intention, and confidence.
Admissions Strategist | Former Admissions Reader, University of Michigan Ross School of Business | College Access Educator | Public Health, University of Georgia | M.Ed. in Educational Leadership, University of Houston
Lisa Banyem brings nearly a decade of experience helping students and families navigate the college admissions process. Her professional background spans college admissions, college access, community-based organizations, and K–12 education. She has served as an admissions reader for the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and has worked in middle schools, high schools, and college-access organizations focused on expanding opportunities for students from historically underrepresented backgrounds.
Having attended school in both Nigeria and the United States, Lisa is known for culturally aligned advising and for helping families navigate the intersection of educational systems, family expectations, and long-term student goals. Her approach combines honest, strategic guidance with a deep understanding of the unique opportunities and challenges many diaspora families face.
Lisa believes successful college admissions outcomes are built through early preparation, meaningful exploration, and strategic decision-making. She helps students identify their strengths, discover colleges and opportunities that align with their goals and values, and develop a clear roadmap for success. Her students have earned admission to institutions including the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business, Columbia, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Vanderbilt, Dartmouth, and UT McCombs, as well as prestigious scholarship programs such as QuestBridge and Posse.
Admissions Strategist | Former Assistant Director of Admissions, University of Southern California | Former Seasonal Reader, Caltech | B.A., Bowdoin College | Ed.M., Harvard Graduate School of Education | Ph.D. Scholar, UCLA
Simon’s journey in admissions began at Bowdoin College, where he was a tour guide and a Riley Research Fellow for higher education studies. He is also a QuestBridge Scholar and an alumnus of CollegeMatchLA. After receiving his Ed.M., he returned to his hometown of Los Angeles and worked as an Assistant Director of Admissions at USC for three years, reading thousands of applications and covering regions in Southern and Central California, the Midwest, and New England.
After USC, Simon served as a Seasonal Reader for Caltech, reviewing the qualitative components of applications. He specializes in the USC and California community college transfer process, crafting strong STEM essays and portfolios for engineering schools, advising students applying to small liberal arts colleges, and developing compelling AAPI narratives.
A lifelong advocate for access and opportunity in higher education, Simon is pursuing a Ph.D. in Education at UCLA with a focus on federal policies.
Ray has spent his entire career in higher and secondary education. After two years as an Undergraduate Advisor in UCLA’s College of Letters and Science, he spent six years as the Director of Outreach and Recruitment at the UCLA Medical School. He then spent the next 12 years in the Undergraduate Admissions Office at the California Institute of Technology before moving to a private high school as a college and academic counselor.
Ray believes it is important for students and parents to understand the increasingly challenging college application process. He listens carefully and proceeds thoughtfully so that every family can understand the process to the best of their ability.
Ray has helped students gain admission to all Ivy League campuses, all University of California campuses, leading STEM institutions including MIT, Caltech, and Carnegie Mellon, and liberal arts colleges such as the University of Chicago and Pomona College.
Admissions Strategist | Higher Education Admissions & Enrollment Professional | M.Ed. in Higher Education, LSU– New Orleans | B.S. in Political Science, Illinois State University
Sam is a higher education admissions and enrollment professional with more than seven years of experience across college admissions, recruitment, enrollment, and student advising. Her professional background includes admissions and enrollment work at New York University, Columbia University, Missouri State University, and LSU–New Orleans. Throughout her career, Sam has worked closely with students as they navigate the admissions process.
Her counseling approach centers on making admissions feel transparent, manageable, and personal. She believes students are best served by clear information, thoughtful guidance, and an individualized process that helps them identify programs and opportunities aligned with their goals. Sam especially enjoys helping students develop authentic application strategies, strengthen their personal statements, and navigate the many decisions involved in pursuing higher education. Passionate about expanding access to higher education, Sam helps students approach the admissions process with confidence and clarity.
Outside of work, Sam enjoys listening to music, reading, and spending time with her dog.
As Senior Associate Director of Admissions at The Taft School in Connecticut, Mark developed a nuanced understanding of enrollment at elite institutions and of how students can position themselves effectively for successful school searches. He understands the perspectives of both families and admissions committees, helping students identify opportunities that align with their goals and strengths.
Mark has also served as Dean of Students at The Taft School, Kent School in Connecticut, and St. George’s School in Rhode Island. Across more than twenty-five years of teaching History and coaching varsity sports, he has evaluated potential and supported students from every angle. This experience gives him an exceptional understanding of both the distinct value of the boarding-school experience and the demands of succeeding at the highest levels.
As former Associate Director of Diversity and Access Recruitment at Smith College and former Associate Director of College Counseling at New York independent schools, Tara understands how admissions decisions are made and how students can best communicate what makes them distinctive. Her approach is both strategic and deeply human: she believes the strongest applications emerge when students understand not only how colleges will evaluate them, but also who they are, what they value, and what they hope to contribute.
Rather than encouraging students to fit a predetermined mold, Tara helps them identify the experiences, interests, and perspectives that make them unique—and thoughtfully connect those pieces into a compelling, authentic story. Throughout her career, she has championed access and belonging in education and currently serves on the Executive Board of ABAFAOILSS, a national organization of admissions and financial-aid professionals.
Though Tara is mostly known for being a dancer, her closest family and friends know that singing was her first love. She has been singing since she could talk, and her memory for lyrics, quotes, and almost anything else she finds interesting is impeccable.
Student Success Coordinator | Former Admissions Officer, Georgetown University | Georgetown B.S.F.S
Liz is a self-described tech nerd and strong believer in the power of education. From her own experience as a Questbridge Scholar and as an undergrad at Georgetown, Liz brings significant expertise to their students, helping them with their dreams whether it be an Ivy+ institution, top STEM/undergrad business programs, BS/MD programs, or otherwise.
As an Admissions Officer in 2020, Liz saw the rapidly evolving selective admissions landscape adapt first-hand and learned greatly from colleagues at fellow Exploring College Options (ECO) schools. From acting as the point-of-contact for several regions nationally or reading transfer applicants, they brought their passion for student-success. Now Liz guides students across the world to cross the finish line with applications encompassing a student’s authenticity, passion, and awareness of the rapidly-evolving admissions landscape and applicant pool.
Liz’s prop creation, costume design, and acting skills continue to grow through their work on immersive STEAM projects.
May is a former admissions officer, international college counselor, and early-talent recruiter for elite investment banking and asset-management internship programs. With a decade of experience spanning college admissions, scholarship adjudication, résumé screening, and candidate evaluation for freshman and sophomore internships, she brings a deep insider perspective on what makes young applicants stand out in hyper-competitive selection processes.
She brings a global perspective and a comprehensive understanding of worldwide educational curricula. May has visited and recruited students at top high schools across four continents. This firsthand understanding of diverse educational environments enables her to help international and third-culture students translate their achievements into standout applications for U.S. institutions.
As a former Assistant Director of Admission at Haverford College, she evaluated and presented 1,000+ applications annually across academic disciplines, supervised student recruitment programs, and traveled nationally for outreach. Her multiple years in Haverford’s admissions office gave her an insider’s perspective on how highly selective colleges build their classes and what truly stands out in competitive application review.
Expert in holistic admissions review, identity-centered counseling, and supporting students from diverse backgrounds
Praxedes specializes in helping students develop authentic narratives that honor their multifaceted interests while positioning them strategically for the most competitive admissions processes. Her academic background in the social sciences, combined with her degree from Harvard informs her nuanced approach to counseling.
Praxedes ran 2 half marathons in 2025 and is training for her first full marathon in 2026!
Rachel brings more than seven years of experience in education, supporting students and families throughout their academic journeys. She joined Admittedly as a Student Success Manager, helping students and families navigate the logistical side of the Admittedly process.
Now, as part of the Operations team, Rachel builds the behind-the-scenes infrastructure—including Admittedly’s Help Center and the processes that keep the team running—that allows Admissions Strategists and Student Success Coordinators to focus solely on what matters most: their students.
Isamar combines deep admissions experience from highly-selective institutions with strategic operational know-how. Before Admittedly, Isamar led her own admissions consultancy and was an admissions strategist at a global firm – 87% of her program students were admitted to selective colleges with <15% admit rates. She also worked for startups consulting on developing scalable customer success processes and developing operations for flagship programs. At Admittedly, she now builds the systems across CRM, automation, AI, knowledge & data management, and communications that enable our service delivery teams to focus on direct work with students.
Isamar earned her AB in psychology from Harvard College, her EdM in International Education Policy from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and her MBA from University of Oxford, Saïd Business School. She blends her education to produce an interdisciplinary lens in her approach to operations, applying insights from how people think, how people learn, and how strategic work happens.
Isamar has visited 6 of 7 World Wonders, photographed the Northern Lights twice, and once flew around the world in 5 days.
Financial Aid Expert | 20+ Years in Private Education | Specialist in FAFSA, CSS Profile, and Aid Strategy
Melissa brings more than 20 years of experience in financial aid advising within the private education sector. Known for her calm clarity and strategic insight, she has guided countless students and families through the complexities of the financial aid process. With a background in psychology and deep expertise in Title IV funding, compliance, and student support, Melissa is a bridge between institutional policy and real-world family needs.
Melissa takes a holistic and empowering approach to financial aid counseling. She works closely with families to demystify FAFSA and CSS Profile submissions, evaluate need- and merit-based opportunities, and develop customized financial strategies that align with students’ academic ambitions. Her goal: to ensure every student can pursue higher education with confidence and a plan that supports both access and sustainability.
Melissa combines a love of adventure, live sports, and all things Disney — always ready to find joy in both the magical and the unexpected.
Art Portfolio Reviewer | Graphic Designer & Illustrator | Comics Editor & Arts Grant Recipient
Jake is a practicing graphic designer, illustrator, and editor with a dual academic background in fine arts and digital design. With an Associate Degree in Graphic Design from Seattle Central Creative Academy and a BFA in Printmaking and Sculpture, he brings a hybrid perspective to art portfolio development. His work as Editor-in-Chief of Scarfff Comics Newspaper and his success as a freelance creative have earned him grants from both the Washington State Arts Commission and the City of Seattle.
Jake’s approach to portfolio review is all about alignment and authenticity. He helps students craft portfolios that not only showcase their strongest technical and conceptual pieces, but also communicate a unified artistic identity. Whether applying to fine arts, design, or media programs, students benefit from his insight into institutional expectations and his ability to shape raw talent into compelling, purpose-driven portfolios.
Jake’s artistic inspirations include manga legend Akira Toriyama, the creative mind behind Dragon Ball.
Essay Team Manager | Former Admissions Officer, University of Virginia | B.A. in History & Italian Studies, University of Virginia | M.A. in Medieval History, The Catholic University of America
Stephanie Pluta is Admittedly’s Essay Team Manager and brings more than eighteen years of experience in college admissions advising, essay coaching, and secondary and higher education instruction. She earned a B.A. in History and Italian Studies from the University of Virginia and an M.A. in Medieval History from The Catholic University of America.
After serving as an Admissions Officer at the University of Virginia, Stephanie transitioned to teaching History and Latin at the middle- and high-school levels, while also providing tutoring and college consulting services. Her experience across admissions, classroom instruction, and one-on-one academic support enables her to understand both the strategy and the substance behind a strong application.
In recent years, Stephanie has specialized in guiding students through the college essay process. She helps students identify the stories that matter most, develop them through thoughtful brainstorming, and communicate them with clear, confident writing across a wide range of college applications.
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