Syracuse University

I have previously worked in undergraduate and graduate admissions. For the last two years, I was the Director of College Counseling at a New York City high school. During those two years, I have had eight Quest Bridge finalists/matches and three students who got in through Quest Bridge regular decision. I have had one Bill Gates Scholar and several acceptances to Ivy League and other elite institutions. I work as a college counselor and am now in this role because I had someone support me through the college application process. I am passionate about college access, so much so that my doctorate degree is in higher education, ensuring all students have access to a college education, regardless of their background. My strength is in relationship-building with the students and the families. If you could ask any of the previous students, one thing they would say is that I care. I want to know all about you, your lived experiences, the things that make you, YOU. It could be the smallest of details. I want to guide and support you, but I will also hold you accountable, teach you a level of independence, and give you autonomy. I like to have deadlines, but I am always flexible as long as we communicate. I am committed and expect any student I work with to be committed to the process. My specialties include building a well-balanced college list, writing personal statements and supplements, and highlighting extracurricular activities.

I have over 20 years of experience as a college counselor working with domestic US students as well as international students applying to US colleges. I lived abroad for 10 years and worked at 2 premier international schools guiding and advising students with applications to the US as well as Canada, the UK, and Europe. My jobs have allowed me the opportunity to visit close to 200 college campuses across the globe. I am passionate about career development and guiding students to tell their stories through essays and other aspects of the application. I live and breathe college admissions on a daily basis and stay current with the changing landscape. The most enjoyable parts of my job are working directly with young adults and helping them to uncover their talents and how those are related to their futures - college and beyond!

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.

Hey! I'm Joseph, a graduate of Gettysburg College and Columbia University and am currently pursuing my PhD in Anthropology at the University of California - Davis. During my time at Gettysburg I majored in Political Science and Anthropology while dedicating myself to issues of diversity and inclusion on campus. I served in the admission office for four years and rose to be a member of the Admission Executive Team. I attended Columbia University for my Masters in Anthropology and conducted my fieldwork in Sarajevo, Bosnia. I also served as an Admission Officer at Truman State University. A unique fact about me: I have traveled to 62 different countries!

Hello! My name is Isabella, and I am a 4th-year student with a Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering double major and minors in Entrepreneurship and IST for Aerospace Engineers at Penn State. At Penn State, I hold several distinctions, including being a member of the honors college (Scheyer), the honors engineering scholars' program (Leonard Scholars), and a recipient of the Provost Award. Professionally, I interned at SpaceX in Spring 2021, Lockheed Martin Space in Summer 2021, and a hypersonic start-up called Hermeus in Summer 2022. During my senior year application cycle, I gained admittance to several top universities, listed on my profile. I also earned several national, regional, and local scholarships including the Lockheed Martin STEM Scholarship, and I have totaled over $150,000 in scholarship money to date. While in high school, I was active in several STEM extracurricular events, including the Summer Exposure Engineering Experience Program at the University of Michigan (received a scholarship to attend the summer camp and won the summer camp's $20,000/year Engineering Scholarship of Honor for use at UMich), MOSTEC at MIT, and CE^2 at Columbia University. One of my areas of strength is scholarship applications and essays, both specific to a university or in a national or local application. I also thoroughly understand how to frame a college application in the best way possible by creating cohesive activity descriptions, essays, and short answer responses. I have worked with students in the Pittsburgh area and with international students prior to joining CollegeAdvisor. This is my second year with CollegeAdvisor, and I’m so excited to continue helping students meet their goals!