Texas A&M University

Hello! My name is Michelle Adebisi and I am excited to meet your advising needs. I received a Civil Engineering Degree, but I work as a Sales Engineer in the Electrical Engineering field. My previous work experiences have been in Land Development, Utilities Engineering, Roadway Design, and Oil and Gas. My advising experience started with serving as an incoming freshman orientation advisor at the University of Texas at Austin. I provided one-on-one advising sessions with incoming freshmen and discussed class schedules, major selection, student organizations, and orientation participation. I also prepared students for internship and full-time job interviews and edited their resumes and cover letters. As a second-generation college student, I am very passionate about helping students who do not have the resources they need to feel supported in their college application process. I have helped family and friends gain acceptance and enroll as a students in colleges like the University of Texas at Austin by reviewing their college essays and directing them to financial aid opportunities. I am also an active member of the National Society of Black Engineers (Life Long Member). I planned several community service events, professional networking socials, and professional development events with key industry speakers. My focus was spreading awareness of college scholarships and financial aid opportunities to underserved communities and inspiring more women to be in the STEM field.

As a seasoned college advisor, I bring 3 years of experience guiding students toward their academic and professional goals. My expertise lies in helping individuals navigate the complex college admissions process with a focus on personalized strategies that align with each student's unique strengths and aspirations.

Key Highlights:

🔍 In-Depth Admissions Knowledge: I stay updated on the current trends and prerequisites in college admissions, ensuring my clients receive timely and pertinent guidance.

🌟 Proven Track Record: Over the years, I have successfully assisted numerous students in gaining admission to their dream schools. My approach combines a deep understanding of academic requirements with a keen insight into each student's passions, resulting in tailored and impactful applications.

🤝 Personalized Guidance: I believe in fostering strong, one-on-one relationships with my clients. By getting to know each student on a personal level, I can provide targeted guidance that goes beyond mere academic advice. I am committed to helping students discover their strengths and develop a clear roadmap for achieving their academic and career aspirations.

💡 Holistic Approach: Recognizing that the college journey is not just about academics, I offer holistic support that encompasses personal development, goal setting, and life skills. My goal is to empower students to thrive not only in their academic pursuits but also in all facets of their lives.

🚀 Passion for Empowering Futures: What drives me is the belief that every student has untapped potential waiting to be discovered. Witnessing their growth and success fuels my passion for this work. I am dedicated to empowering each student to take charge of their future and reach heights they may not have thought possible.

Hello, my name is Nikki. I graduated from Brown University with a degree in Biomedical Engineering, which I am very proud of as a first-generation college student from the Rio Grande Valley in TX! At Brown, I was part of 2 different engineering research labs and worked a part-time job as a barista at the cafe in the engineering building. After graduating from Brown, I joined Teach For America and taught 8th grade math for 2 years. Now, I am a College Counselor at a charter school in Houston, TX. I walk students step-by-step through the college admissions process from building a college list to helping them understand their financial aid packages. I love having the opportunity to serve students whose shoes I was once in and show them the patience and kindness needed through the admissions process. I particularly enjoy getting to know students personally and finding the best way to help them tell their story in their application. I look forward to doing the same with my advisees and being a support for you in your journey to college!

I have worked with students full-time for over 7 years and worked with high school students part-time for over 2 years in my undergraduate career. At Mays Business School, I had the pleasure to advise and mentor students who are part of the Regents’ Ambassador First-Gen Scholars Program, a program of approximately 250 freshmen through senior year first generation college students with high financial need. I have also had the opportunity to collaborate with the Office of Admissions Regional Prospective Student Centers to recruit students throughout the state of Texas including Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Laredo, San Antonio, Austin, and the Rio Grande Valley. Before my current role, I served as a College Access Advisor at Aldine Senior High School, a Title 1 school in North Houston. At Aldine, I advised 700 high school seniors through the college application and matriculation process utilizing programs such as Apply TX, Common App, FAFSA, and TASFA and approximately 600 juniors on the college application process including finding best-fit, SAT/ACT preparation, scholarship applications, and career guidance. I am currently a College and Career Readiness Advisor for Houston ISD where I have advised over 300 students in the college application and financial aid process. One of my greatest strengths is having experience with students both in the secondary and post-secondary level with assistance in the financial aid application process. I am passionate about helping students reach their college and career goals.

I have a strong commitment to college education access, matriculation, transition and retention. I am currently in the pursuit of my PhD in Higher Education and Organizational Change at UCLA, have an MEd in Higher Education Student Affairs, and International Education Policy (University of Maryland, 2022) and a BA in Sociology and Ethnic Studies (UC San Diego, 2018). Throughout my undergraduate career, in addition to obtaining a minor in Education Studies, I actively worked with high schools by providing campus tour, hosting student for overnight programs, facilitating classes for a summer bridge program, presenting during high school conferences, conducting research at a high school and being an active mentor to high school students that were connected with me via personal networks. From 2018-2022, I was a College Advisor for the University of Southern California College Advising Corps where I worked predominantly with senior students and advised them based on their goals, aspirations and circumstances. I have given presentations on various topics (A-G, FAFSA, CalGrant, scholarships, transition programs, on-campus resources, etc.), have extensive resume, statement of purpose, and personal statement editing experience both for the college admission process and scholarship applications. I am a proud recipient of the Gates Millennium Scholarship (2013), which has an award rate of under 1% and has funded my bachelor’s, master’s, and is now funding my doctoral degree. In my 10 years of working with high school and college students in summer bridge programs, college access programs, outreach, programming, fraternity and sorority life, residence life, and research, I have developed an advising style that meets students where they are based on their knowledge. The premise of my advising style is to meet the needs of the student and their families/guardians with integrity and resourcefulness. I like to provide students with information to facilitate taking ownership of their decisions and can similarly have the confidence to answer questions and discuss topics with their families and guardians. I have enjoyed the process of involving parents to ensure they are equally informed as their students and together support students in their college-going process.

I am a proud first-generation college graduate and professional who aspires to fight for educational equity. I hold my B.S. from The University of Texas at Austin and fell in love with working with students during my first work-study job on campus. I graduated in 2012 and became a college advisor for The College Advising Corps where I supported students in college admissions at high school in Austin, TX. I then joined Teach for America and became a 7th grade and 8th grade math Teacher where I continued to develop a passion for developing youth and supporting student success initiatives. I taught for two years and later joined an organization that allowed me to enhance my college access and success expertise. I became a program manager for a program called EMERGE that focuses on admissions to private and Ivy League schools. With this program I successfully supported students throughout the entire application cycle. My students have been accepted to colleges/universities such as: Harvard, Dartmouth, Amherst, Bowdoin, Northeastern, USC, UCLA, Rice University, Franklin and Marshall and many more!!! I know hundreds of institutions by memory, and can recite their location, strengths, and what their financial package may look like based on your family's income. I wanted to continue to develop as a leader and attended my alma mater, The University of Texas for my master's degree in Human Dimensions of Organizations. After working in Texas for six years, I moved to Los Angeles where I managed a mentorship program called AMP that supported college students at: UCLA, UC-Irvine, UC-Merced, UC-Riverside and other campuses in the region. In this role I managed a team that supported college success initiatives on campuses throughout So-Cal. In this role I developed expertise on what it takes to thrive once you are on the college campus. I then transitioned to the SF Bay Area to support my partner as she transitioned into law school and became an Associate Director of College and Career Counseling where I continued to support high school students in college admissions. My students were accepted to all 9 UC campuses, Harvard, Middlebury, Scripps, and USC. I helped secure the first Harvard admission ever on our campus. Within a year, I was promoted to Director of College and Career Counseling where I now manage all initiatives pertaining to college access in my network and ensure that our students are on target to graduate. I have a deep passion for developing and coaching young adults. I treat you with the respect and care that you deserve because I know how hard this process is. With more than a decade of experience I truly understand the admission game and what it takes to get to your desired college. I am an expert in crafting and developing personal statements. I am an expert in the Common APP, and other platforms such as ApplyTexas, The Coalition App, and The UC App. I am an expert in coaching and guiding you towards selecting your major based on your passions and interests. I have a deep understanding of utilizing your interests in STEM or Humanities to get you access to specialized programs at colleges and universities throughout the country. I care deeply about this work because I was a student that needed a lot of support but did not receive it. I experienced a great deal of trauma and learned to navigate a system that was unfamiliar to me. In this work I care to learn more about you and why you want to attend specific colleges and universities. My students are my priority because I know how life-changing this work is. With me, you'll know that you'll have someone in your corner. As we embark on this journey together, I want you to know that 1.) We will have a good time, because the work is hard, but we should be able to smile along the way. I'm a big goofball! 2.) I will help you establish a balanced college list based on your academic and extracurricular profile. 3.) We will extract the experiences to create a personal statement that is special to you. 4.) You will have support and access to me along the journey as my priority is to ensure you always support. Applying to college can be stressful, however we will get through this together and grow along the way.

I look forward to seeing your acceptance videos!

I was born in Chile and grew up in Santiago and in Caracas, Venezuela, until the age of 12, when my family moved to the United States. As a high school student in Texas, I knew that my parents' financial situation meant that I would need to limit my college search to universities in Texas to be able to pay in-state tuition. I received scholarship offers from the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A & M, and Southern Methodist University. Ultimately, I chose UT-Austin because I liked everything the city had to offer as the "live music capital of the world," the easy access to the gentle beauty of the Hill Country, and the university's reputation and wonderful campus. Although I had originally intended to pursue a dual degree involving civil engineering, at UT-Austin I obtained a Bachelor of Arts in the Plan II Honors Program. Plan II has multi-disciplinary course requirements and strong emphasis on problem solving, critical and analytical skills, and writing. To pay for the expenses not covered by my scholarship, I worked as a news and entertainment writer at the university's highly regarded newspaper, The Daily Texan, as well as serving as the Music Director for KTSB (now KVRX) student radio. Rather than pursuing a career in journalism or broadcasting, however, I worked for two years at a low-income housing corporation in Alexandria, Virginia, before pursuing certification to become a teacher in Texas. My career in education includes 22 years teaching overseas, including in China, the U.A.E., Vietnam, Tanzania, Malaysia, Albania, and Japan before returning to the U.S. in 2019. Along the way I obtained a Master of Education in TESOL from Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. I was an IELTS examiner for twelve years and an SAT Center Director for two. Since 2005 I have worked at International Baccalaureate World Schools teaching IB Diploma History, Global Politics, Theory of Knowledge, and MYP Individuals & Societies, as well as IGCSE History and various other courses within the social studies umbrella, while also getting involved with college counseling on a part-time basis beginning in 2012. As a part-time college counselor at my schools in Malaysia and Japan between 2012 and 2019, I helped students to navigate the application process for universities in the UK (UCAS), USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Malaysia, and Japan. My former students have gone on to pursue degrees and careers in economics, business, law, medicine, public health, urban planning, nature conservation, psychology, graphic arts, music, and education. Thanks to social media, I have stayed in touch with many of them and have conducted extensive post-college interviews with some to find out more about their experiences in higher education and their subsequent careers. In my current role as Residential Faculty at a private IB World School in Tacoma, Washington, I continue to support students as they navigate the demanding curriculum of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program while living away from home. We currently have students from the USA, China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan, Ukraine, Brazil, and Moldova, and I endeavor to apply my many years working internationally and knowledge of various higher education systems around the world to help them reach their dreams.

I have over four years of experience in direct college access work, helping students gain acceptance into selective colleges and universities. I also have more than four years of experience developing community education programs and building sustainable community partnerships for underserved populations.