University of Virginia

Joshua Ford attended UNC-Chapel Hill as a Morehead-Cain Scholar in the Honors Program. Upon graduating, he received a Fulbright scholarship to study entrepreneurship in Mexico. He spent several years as a management consultant before moving to startups. He previously worked for Candid and Uber before becoming the CEO & Founder of HipTrain. HipTrain was acquired by FORME which Joshua helped bring public on the NASDAQ exchange in April 2023. He now serves as the Global Head of Redesign Health.

Hello! My name is Nathanael, and I graduated from Princeton University in 2022 with a degree in International Affairs and Public Policy. I am pursuing a Masters in Public Policy (MPP)at the University of Oxford in England and will be headed to Harvard Medical School in the fall. In addition to exploring different academic disciplines during my time at Princeton, I also worked as a tutor, academic advisor, and college counselor. I tutored Organic Chemistry and Introductory Physics, and I served as a learning consultant and held weekly one-on-one consultations with students to help them develop personalized learning, time management, and exam preparation strategies. Lastly, I worked with various college access programs and helped numerous students gain admissions to schools such as Princeton, Cornell, and Johns Hopkins. I can't wait to help you navigate the college application process as well and support you in any way I can!

Hello! I am a recent graduate of the University of Virginia, where I had the opportunity to study American Studies, or as I like to describe it, an interdisciplinary mix of the art, history, and culture that shaped the Eastern Hemisphere. I am a singer and actor who is passionate about helping students achieve their dreams in the arts and beyond. I've previously had the honor of working directly with students in a high school as an in-house College Advisor, where I served as a resource for 300 Seniors going through application processes for 2-Year Colleges, 4-Year Colleges and Universities, and Trade Schools. I have also worked in Higher Education with the University of Virginia's Orientation & New Student Programs, granting me a wealth of knowledge of the college-going process beyond the initial admission. I am here to be your biggest cheerleader and advocate, and I'm excited to help you along your path towards what is sure to be an exciting journey!

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! My name is Kalea O. and I'm from Manassas, Virginia (DMV area). I grew up as the daughter of a single mom and I am a first-generation/limited-income (FGLI) college grad. I graduated from the University of Virginia in 2020 with a B.S. in Youth and Social Innovation (education) and minor in Urban and Environmental Planning (architecture). During my time as an undergrad, I became an advocate for change through storytelling, and influenced by my own and friends' lived experiences, my career has largely been defined by advocating for first-generation, limited-income, and other underserved students. After college, I served for two years with Americorps as a College Adviser for the Virginia College Advising Corps. My placement was at Charlottesville High School (go Black Knights!) where I worked with over 1,500+ students, from freshmen to seniors, regarding their college apps and career aspirations. My former students have been admitted to a varied and diverse range of institutions, such as Harvard, UPenn, The College of William & Mary, DigiPenn, NYU, Johns Hopkins, Virginia Tech, and several community colleges. I have experience working with students who have pursued a wide range of majors including the Arts and Humanities, Business, and STEM. My strengths as an Advisor lie in helping students explore and find their passions and then translate those experiences in their college essays. I also specialize in Virginia college applications and have familiarity with a wide range of Virginia high schools from NOVA to central and southern Virginia. I am also well versed in the scholarship and financial aid process; in 2021 I was awarded $800 by the State Council for Higher Education for ensuring my school had the highest FAFSA completion rates across the Commonwealth of Virginia (of high schools with 200+ seniors). In total I have helped students secure hundreds of thousands in scholarships, one student alone securing $100k. As an FGLI grad, my mission is to help decrease the cost of college for every student I work with! After my service with the College Advising Corps, I worked as a Presidential Fellow for the Office of the President at UVA. Now, in addition to advising through CollegeAdvisor.com, I am a Program Coordinator for Hoos First, a new team at the University of Virginia that provides support for FGLI students. When I'm not working with students, you'll find me hosting murder mystery dinners, running, playing thrilling games of Rummikub, and hanging out with my roommate--my cat Biggie Paws!

After completing an undergraduate degree and graduate degree in business and working in industry for several years, I began my career in higher education as a faculty member at Mary Baldwin College. I served as an Assistant Professor of Business at Mary Baldwin College as well as St. Andrews Presbyterian College, both are small church related liberal arts schools, and I fully enjoyed and value the residential liberal arts experience. I joined the University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce as an Assistant Dean of Students in 1990. McIntire has consistently been rated as one of the top undergraduate business schools globally while UVA has consistently been rated as a top public research institution. During my time at UVA, I served in a variety of roles related to student development, student services and admission and founded the first Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the McIntire School of Commerce, serving as the first Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at McIntire. I served for over twenty years as the Director of Undergraduate Admission, advising and counseling students as well as reading, reviewing and making decisions on admission applications. I was a member of the University Undergraduate Admission Committee for over a decade and love working with prospective college students to help them find the right program, school and location for their higher education journey. I developed and taught a very popular University Seminar for first year students on Managing Diversity and was instrumental in the founding of the McIntire Commerce Cohort program which supports and guides first and second year students interested in pursuing a degree and career in business. I have extensive knowledge, experience and a passion for working with students from diverse backgrounds including first generation, low income and under-represented. As the parent of three young adults all with college degrees, I understand the challenges, anxiety and joy of parenting through the college search and application process. Finding the best college should be viewed as an individual process of self-reflection, learning and exploration not a contest or competition. I'm excited to support students through this journey!

I recently graduated Cum Laude from Princeton University with a bachelor's in public policy and international Affairs and a certificate in American Studies. During my time at Princeton, 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. Prior to College Advisor, I have worked with another mentoring agency directed towards international students seeking to develop writing and personal aspect of their application such as personal statements, resumes, supplement essays, and college interviews. I also worked as an academic coach for a company that uses teaching techniques to help bright students with learning difficulties and conquer their academic struggles. 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, Computer Science, Engineering, Pre-Law/Political Science, and Gender and Sexuality Studies. My mission while advising is 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 that 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 Technical Account Manager at an Education Software company based in New York and aspire to attend law school in the future. My love for education started in my home in Jersey City, NJ as I helped my busy parents with homework as I balanced my own pursuit for a higher education and my extracurriculars. Outside of academics and career interests, I enjoy rollerskating, reading, and spending time with friends having interesting conversations and making fun memories in the city.

I received my bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia where I applied Early Decision, and I have a Master's in Higher Education as well as a Master of Public Administration both from Columbia University. I worked in the admissions office at Columbia for over 8 years, where I managed and made decisions on applicants to international dual degree programs. I am currently a college counselor at an International Baccalaureate (IB) school and can help families navigate the U.S. and/or international university application process. I also have experience working with students considering non-traditional paths, such as a gap year or pursuing military service, before attending college.

Summary of Experience: Currently the Associate Director of College Counseling at an international school in New York City. I work with 9th-12th graders to prepare IB coursework and applications to universities around the world including the US, UK, Canada, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, and more. Former Admissions Manager & Assistant Director of Admissions at Columbia University in the City of New York, led the admissions process for the international dual bachelor's programs with Sciences Po (France), Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), and Tel Aviv University (Israel). Also read applications to the post-baccalaureate pre-medical program and transfer applications from non-traditional students. Former Financial Aid Officer at Baruch College of the City University of New York.

Hi there! My name is Abu Mian and I would love to work with you through your college admissions process! Although I grew up in the NYC area, I went to High School in Islamabad, Pakistan where I did not have access to the best advising for the college admissions process. I know how daunting the experience can be and so I have joined College Advisor to help you stay informed and on track with everything to do with college admissions. I graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2021, where I completed a degree in Philosophy with honors. Alongside my coursework in the liberal arts, I also completed a supplementary major in Arts & Letters Pre-Health. I am an aspiring physician and plan on applying to Medical Schools soon. During my undergrad I spent two years serving as an Advisor for Matriculate, a non-profit that helps low-income, high achieving high school students apply to colleges. I've also worked as a writing tutor for College Athletes and as a Philosophy teaching assistant. I also have extensive experience working with young people such as yourself at several non-profits in Kansas City, Dallas, and London. I look forward to using my experiences to help you craft your narrative and compose beautifully written essays!