University of California – Berkeley

A Duke honors grad with neuroscience training from Stanford, I help leaders thrive in our changing world. I started my career in global education over a decade ago and have been publicly recognized by Melinda Gates and 4x NYT bestselling author Marianne Williamson for my work in education and whole-person development. My training, knowledge, and professional experience across marketing, education, and coaching make me a highly insightful, innovative, and integrative college advisor. Prior to CollegeAdvisor, I worked as an advisor in a small college advising firm, working with over 20 students on a team of advisors. Our students received admissions from Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, Northwestern, Duke, Dartmouth, Berkeley, and MIT. I was lucky to learn the ropes from former Stanford admissions directors; entrusted with each student's applications and resumes, I realized I had a talent for showing what was unique about each student. I have become a sought-after essay advisor since. I help students get an edge in college admissions while enjoying the process and growing as a person. My students note how I help them succeed as themselves rather than striving for someone else's notion of "success" at their own long-term expense. This means that I work best with families who are interested in helping their student discover and unfold their whole selves and willing to do the challenging inner work that can entail. I'm interested in what makes you different! Fun fact: I have been fortunate to continue my involvement in higher education long after graduating. I have spoken at Duke, NYU, and Harvard conferences, served as a staff and alum career coach at UC Berkeley and Duke University, and am also a fractional executive coach to higher education professionals. These engagements give me another view into colleges and their evolving priorities. As an advisor, I am energetic, insightful, compassionate, entertaining, and rigorous. If you are willing to be seen, heard, challenged, and emboldened through the college application process, then you've found the right person. I hope I will shape your experience to be one where you can reach your goals, find your place in the world, and honor your humanity and inherent value.

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.

I am a first-generation Latina college graduate and I hold my B.A. in Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley). I have held positions as a College Advisor, Student Services Advisor and Academic Mentor where I have advised students with the college application process in both 1-1 and group settings (virtual and in-person), organized and coordinated college access and leadership workshops to support students and families from diverse backgrounds, and supported with post-secondary education and career planning. As a first-generation student, I was never exposed to resources to support me with the college access process. This taught me how to seek out resources on my own, which supported me throughout my time at university. After graduating from UC Berkeley, I further developed my passion of helping others because I believe everyone should have equitable access to attain higher education. I believe everyone has a unique story to share and with my passion to support and experience in advising students, I am excited to get to hear our students' stories and continue advocating and ensuring students receive the support needed to attain higher education.

I hold a B.A. in English from the University of California - Berkeley and a Masters degree in Social Work from Azusa Pacific University where I graduated at the top of my class, Phi Alpha, and received the Outstanding Student of the Year and the Macro Student of the Year awards, respectively. My professional experience includes development work in Paraguay for the Peace Corps, literacy promotion within the Washington, D.C. Library system, and a consultant role in Academic and College Counseling. I have worked with students as young as eleven years old and their families to compose four-year high school plans replete with classes, extracurricular activities, and SAT prep schedules, and modifying them as needed throughout the student's high school career. I check in with students on their progress, help them select a major that meets the student's goals, and ensure the student's preparedness for the pursuit of that major in college admissions. Students I've worked with have pursued majors such as Business, Computer Science, Education, Photography, Urban Planning, Pre-Med, Engineering, Animation, and Psychology, to name a few. Working with young people to help them identify their passion and pursue it brings me great joy. I enjoy facilitating conversations between parents and their children about goals and career plans. College Admissions does not have to be stressful or confusing. Everything, in the end, will be okay. It is never too late to side step, change course, or start over. It might just look a little funny.

Getting into college is becoming increasingly difficult day by day. With more students getting top scores and developing strong extracurricular backgrounds, it's extremely tough to set yourself apart. However, I can help with the nuanced components of each individual application, helping to build a cohesive, unique story that can maximize your chances. I have extensive experience advising students on undergraduate admissions, running my own independent admissions consultancy for multiple years. I have helped students get into many of the top schools in the United States, such as Northwestern, UChicago, Duke, and more. I view the college admissions process as holistic in nature -- meaning I will work with students to optimize each and every component of their application. Whether it be maximizing impact on the resume, crafting school-specific essays, or applying for competitive scholarships, I know what it takes to build the "complete package" necessary for admissions in today's age. I have a particular interest in writing, something I've been passionate about for as long as I can remember. I specialize in helping brainstorm, plan, and edit essays that are impactful for top-school admissions.

I graduated from the University of Virginia in May 2023 with a Bachelor’s in Sociology and a minor in Entrepreneurship. I loved it! I spent my first year of college at Occidental College, where I was recruited to play lacrosse, and after I realized my academic and personal goals had changed, I transferred to the University of Virginia; with this in mind, I am familiar with recruitment admissions as well as transfer admissions processes. Prior to joining CollegeAdvisor.com, I served as a college advisor at College Contact, where I helped students craft creative, authentic, and compelling essays. I have also served as an Entrepreneurship Advisor for the University of Pennsylvania’s Social Innovators Program. At the end of the day, I am passionate about working with students to craft essays that both creatively tell their authentic stories and allow them to stand out in the college admissions processes. The college admissions process requires self-reflection and authenticity, and I am here to prompt such introspection and help students achieve their true dreams…and have fun doing it!

Hi! I am Lisa, a First-Generation Columbia University graduate. Originally from Brazil, I've been working as a college advisor for about 4 years. Using the knowledge I gained during my own college application process, I've directly helped more than 23 ambitious and determined students get admitted into the top 20 schools. I was an Advisor Fellow Leader at the non-profit Matriculate for over two years, managing a community group of 15 advisors and a total of 50 students. I have helped students with all steps of the college process, including financial aid and scholarships. Particularly, I have extensive experience with essay writing, college list building, standardized test prep, application questions, mock interviews and career advising! I am passionate about helping students pursue their passions and achieve their higher education goals!

Hi everyone!! My name is Lauren! I am from the Inland Empire in sunny Southern California. I graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2018 with a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Public Health on the pre-med track. (GO BEARS!) I am a first-generation college student who spearheaded revamping the Black Students in Health Association to increase the Black social network for pre-meds on campus. I also served as an Intern for Northern California Recruitment for the Black Recruitment and Retention Center and served as the President of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, Rho Chapter. I have been involved with college applications and mentoring students through the process for over 8 years. I love to work with students from all backgrounds and help them illustrate their uniqueness, especially those who struggle identifying what makes them stand out (I was that student). I love hearing what motivates my students and assisting them in streamlining that motivation through storytelling via their personal statement and their extracurricular activities. I love to reassure my students that there isn’t a “cookie-cutter” mold for college applicants and encourage them to be bold and authentic in their application. I look forward to working with students who want to enter STEM specifically or Pre-med. I have a ton of experience (leadership, research, clinical etc.) in the pre-med journey and am actually in the process of preparing for medical school applications. My perspective on medicine is unique and I love encouraging young students to continue to pursue STEM regardless of the barriers/ challenges. In my spare time I like to work out, hang out with friends, eat and play with my fur baby! I look forward to working with you and your family during this application process. Get ready to dig deep and put in the work!

Hi! My name is Joanna Cardenas, and I am really looking forward to working with you soon! I am a first-generation student from Los Angeles, CA. I hold a B.A. in African American Studies and Legal Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. Currently, I am a Ph.D. student in the African American Studies Department at Berkeley as well and have held many advising positions since my undergraduate career. Over the last 7 years, I have served many advisor and mentor positions since coming to the Bay Area. As an undergrad, I was a college advisor through East Bay Consortium, where I offered college advising to high school students across the East Bay. I assisted them with their college applications, scholarships, and financial aid applications. I was also a site director for a reading program at Berkeley, where I provided mentorship to elementary school children in Oakland, CA. Now as a graduate student, I serve as a mentor to many undergraduate students within African American Studies, Legal Studies, and abroad, to assist with graduate school applications and career advising. In addition to this role, I also serve as a graduate student mentor to students in the U.S. and internationally who are completing research projects for publication through Lumiere Education. As part of my praxis, holistic advising is essential to creating a space of care and support between my students and me. I really enjoy getting to know more about the students I work with, helping them navigate challenging, but rewarding processes, and overall, creating a system of support that will help students reflect on what they have accomplished and what's next! Outside of my advising positions, I have also engaged in a lot of community work myself and have expertise within the legal field. Through these experiences, I have provided mentorship to students inside and outside of UC Berkeley who are interested in connecting their academic trajectories to on-the-groundwork within communities through social, legal, policy, and academic work. I am very passionate about providing support for students in all stages of their academic careers! As the first person in my family to graduate from high school, graduate from college, and graduate school, I am very familiar with navigating the college process and the hardships that may arise as part of your own personal experiences. As a senior advisor, I want to be able to continue to provide holistic advising and mentorship that creates an inclusive and supportive environment for students to plan out their bright future!