Advisors

Zehra is a seasoned college counseling practitioner with over 15 years of international education experience with a Master’s degree in Higher Education. In her last role, she managed the U.S. Department of State EducationUSA college advising program and worked with students from over 20 nationalities with their applications to U.S. universities. Most recently, Zehra served as an External Admissions Reader for UCLA where she evaluated 500 applications. Zehra is a subject matter expert on American college admissions landscape and have helped hundreds of families in their journey of applying to universities, presented workshops in international conferences, visited over 80 U.S. college campuses and presented at several higher education conferences. She is an active member of NACAC, IACAC and IECA. Her favorite part of the application process is helping students prepare college essay drafts and brainstorming fun topics!

Hello, my name is Yesenia. I was the first in my family to attend college. I went to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and graduated with a degree in Psychology with a minor in Labor and Workplace Studies. I then earned a Master's Degree from California State University, Long Beach in Counseling - Option in Student Development in Higher Education. I am passionate about helping students with their higher educational goals to ensure they are able to get accepted, attend, and ultimately graduate from college to obtain a fulfilling career. For the past 10 years, I have been working in college access and success programs and have served hundreds of students with their college-going journey! It would be a pleasure and a privilege to support you in your goals. Let's work together to make that goal a reality!

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.

Hello! My name is Victoria Li, and I am a current third year student on a five-year BA/MA dual degree studying Education Studies/Social Policy with a minor in Public Policy and Management. My interests particularly lie in finding the intersection between the economic inequities in education, social impact, and business. On campus, I am involved with 180 Degrees Consulting NYU, EmpowerED Consulting, and intramural volleyball. I have been private tutoring in demographics ranging from elementary schools to prospective college students for over 3 years. I have expertise with students interested in business and humanities, essay writing, standardized test prep, career advising, and interview prep. Since high school, I also have had a lot of experience with tutoring international students, particularly helping with college applications and visa complications. I can speak Mandarin, Shanghainese, and English. I got accepted into NYU ED II and Rutgers. Some colleges that my students who I have tutored have gotten into Cornell, Yale, Wellesley, USC, and UCSB.

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.

Higher Education professional dedicated to making sure that all students, no matter their background, race, or socioeconomic status, has access to quality higher education options. Excellent at collaborating with multiple university offices and community organizations to solve problems creatively, while also building lasting relationships. Bringing over 15 years of experience working in college admissions in large state schools and highly selective institutions. Joined college advisor to continue my quest to help students, from any and every background, realize their dream of achieving higher education. Please, come work with me!

Hi! I am a proud graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Maryland, College Park, where I respectively earned my BA in Psychology and M.Ed. in School Counseling. I am a first-generation college student and have made it my life’s work to help students like me navigate the college-going process. After completing my Undergraduate degree, I joined the College Advising Corps and worked as a college advisor in a public high school in North Carolina, where for two years I was the sole College Advisor for 2000 students and guided them throughout their college application processes. I then went on to gain almost a decade of higher education experience working as an Undergraduate Admissions Counselor, and Program Coordinator/Advisor for First Year College Students. I have worked with students through the pipeline, and I have a passion for helping students to find their best fit. I believe that college is one of the best experiences of your life, so it is an honor for me to help students navigate their way through this monumental milestone.

Tia D. Rideout is currently an Interim College and Career Counselor. Prior to this, she served as an educator specializing in College and Career Readiness for the School District of Philadelphia. She has over 13 years of experience working as an educator in College Readiness and is perceived as an expert in the Philadelphia area. Through her leadership, Tia headed the #ReachHigherPhilly College Signing Day with ultimately hosting Former First Lady Michelle Obama to host the 2018 National event in Philadelphia. In addition, Tia has led several district college readiness initiatives such as the HBCU College Fair, Step Up to College Pre-College Conference, and the BEYA Conference. Prior to working at the school district, Tia worked as an Intensive Case Manager at CATCH, Inc. serving children and families with severe mental health disabilities. Her passion for serving children runs across the spectrum from womb to workforce. Tia is trained as a childbirth doula and Breastfeeding Peer Counselor, working with nonprofit organizations such as Maternity Care Coalition and the Breastfeeding Resource Center. In addition to her professional work, Tia works with various nonprofit organizations such as the F.A.S.T. Foundation, T.W.I.Y.O, Camp Sojourner, the Breastfeeding Resource Center, The National Pan-Hellenic Council, Inc., and her beloved sorority, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. which is joined as an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania. Tia is a Philadelphia native and a first-generation college graduate. She holds a Master’s degree from Eastern University in Nonprofit Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently working on obtaining a PMP certification. When Tia has downtime, she enjoys life as a foodie and spending time with her beautiful 10-year-old daughter, Classie. With over 13 years of experience working in urban Schools as a College/Career Readiness Specialist.

Tayla is a junior at Michigan Ross pursuing Business Administration and a minor in User Experience (UX) Design, with the goal to work in consulting post-graduation. She is heavily involved with professional business organizations on campus, specifically her business fraternity and professional consulting club. Tayla interned this past summer with United Airlines in Chicago, IL and will be working in consulting this upcoming summer in New York City. Tayla is experienced in essay writing and revisions, activity and extra-curricular selection, and the financial aid/scholarship application process! She currently works on-campus as a student ambassador and career peer coach at the Michigan Ross School of Business Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Hi! My name is Tatiana Diaz. I am a first-generation college student and the first in my extended family to graduate college. Navigating the college application process was a bit daunting when I was in high school, but I was able to use the resources around me, including Upward Bound and GEAR Up to successfully achieve the goals I had set for myself. I am looking forward to working with students and their families as they navigate this process and am very hopeful that I will be able to provide assistance through some of the bumps that might come up along the road. I graduated from UC Irvine where I received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Social Behavior and Chicano/Latino Studies with a minor in Education in 2010. In 2014 I graduated from Loyola Marymount University and received my Master’s in Counseling with a Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) credential. I am now in my tenth year as a high school counselor. I have had the pleasure of guiding and educating many students about their college, career, and financial aid options during their high school years. I very much look forward to working with you and continuing to learn with you!

Languages spoken: English and Spanish

Hey! My name is Talya, and I am a recent graduate of Pitzer College in Claremont, California where I majored in Sociology. Here, I worked as a Head Writing Fellow at Pitzer College’s Writing Center for the past three years. In this position I assisted students at all levels of writing, ranging from first-year assignments to senior theses and graduate school applications. I have also supported the application process for numerous students who were accepted to prestigious fellowships like Fulbright, Watson, Truman, and Melon Mays. As an advisor, I combine my love for storytelling and conversation with my keen editorial eye, and sense of humor to support students in achieving their personal and educational goals. I approach advising with an open mind, understanding that each student has different strengths. I am committed to reducing stress, making this process more accessible, and helping students develop confidence in themselves. While I majored in sociology, my interests include psychology, public health, politics, and history and I am excited to work with students from a myriad of educational interests. I love learning, especially with and from my students. In my free time, you can find me learning how to rock climb, throwing dinner parties with friends, and taking walks by the ocean.

Hello! My name is Sydney, and I am a proud Midwest native, first-generation college student, and Tar Heel! I received a B.S. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Environmental Management (MEM) from Duke University. As a high school senior, I was accepted into all 13 schools I applied to and I earned over $1.7 million in college scholarships, including the prestigious national Gates Millennium Scholarship and Morehead-Cain Scholarship at UNC. Along with being a Senior Advisor with CollegeAdvisor.com, I am also a Webinar Moderator. I used my undergraduate experience as a time to explore different subject areas. I entered college with the hopes of attending veterinary school, so I am familiar with pre-health tracks and requirements. During a required introductory computer science class, I fell in love with programming and ended up pursuing a minor in Computer Science and working as a Teaching Assistant for several semesters. I also earned a minor in Education because of my passion for educational equity and access. Outside of my academics, I played club rugby and acted in Company Carolina productions. After graduating in December 2020, I applied to a variety of marine and environmental science graduate programs at schools like Scripps Institute of Oceanography at UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, and University of Miami. I ultimately decided to go back to North Carolina where I pursued a Master of Environmental Science with a specialization in Coastal Environmental Management at the Duke University Marine Lab. My Master's Project compiled community art projects and individuals' creative representations of the word "entanglement" for a digital zine. I also have experience with research, as I have traveled to places like the Galapagos and Australia to work in the field on a range of research projects. Currently, I have a science communications fellowship with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). I am excited to work alongside students to showcase their authentic self to colleges and can't wait to see all of the amazing schools they are accepted to!

Over 20 years ago I began my career as a college admission professional in upstate NY. Since then, I have worked in undergraduate and graduate admissions for seven public and private colleges in New York, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland. I've worked for a small liberal arts college with fewer than 1,00 students, a large public with over 10,000 students, and a top 25 research institution. I understand the admissions process and aim to make it less intimidating for my students. I also spent five years as Senior Manager for a national internship program where I recruited college students from 200+ institutions across the country. I became more familiar with students from many schools and visited over 50 campuses. My students interned with media companies like ESPN, HBO, NFL, CBS, Paramount and many others. That experience led me to author my first book, The Internship Manual: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Getting the Internship of Your Dreams. I enjoy the process of working with students and helping them navigate the admissions process! I've done thousands of admissions interviews and read countless admissions applications. I hold an M.S in Professional Writing from Towson University so you might have guessed, essays are my jam. Let's get to work!

Hello from Brooklyn! I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2015 with a degree in political science. After graduating, I have worked for four years as a college advisor with the College Advising Corps and CollegePoint. My specialties include college list building, affordability, and essay development. I am currently a Masters Student in the City University of New York Graduate Center Liberal Studies Program with a concentration in Film Studies. Talk to me about movies, books and language learning!

Scott Wilson is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (BA, 2012) and the University of California, Los Angeles (M. Ed, 2015). For the better part of a decade, Scott has been committed to helping both students and professionals pursue their next steps. Scott brings breadth and depth when advising high school students and their families as he's worked in high school, university, and corporate settings. Scott's admission experience includes over six years at UCLA, the nation's top-ranked public institution and most-applied to institution, as a Senior Assistant Director on the high school recruitment team. He presented to and counseled thousands of students and families through the UC application process throughout the country, but predominantly worked with families in California, New York and New Jersey. He has reviewed thousands of applications for admission to UCLA (first-year, international, and transfer) across all majors and continues to review applications for the University. Additionally, Scott worked as a Technical Recruiter at Meta (formerly Facebook) on their Emerging Talent team, working to bring the world's top up and coming software engineering talent to the company. Scott's goal is to make sure students and families have a clear understanding of the college admissions process, turn what seems like a daunting application process into a story telling opportunity, and provide expertise to help students achieve their short and long-term goals.

My name is Sara Whitelaw and I am a graduate from the University of Pennsylvania. I studied cognitive neuroscience and criminology and completed an honors thesis in my final year surrounding the effects of militarization on protest outcomes. Throughout university, I worked as a research assistant at the Center for Autism Research connected to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, while also being actively involved in student groups on campus. In my free time, I worked as a marketing intern for a woman-owned small business in Philadelphia. I have previous advising experience through working with Matriculate: a non-profit college advising company that helps low-income students and first-generation students apply to successful and financially accessible universities. I loved this experience and cannot wait to continue my advising journey for CollegeAdvisor. I have advised students who were successfully admitted into top programs such as USC's Annenberg School for Journalism & Communication with a full-ride scholarship as well as Stanford University. I look forward to building a connection with eager students excited about the college process!

I hold my Bachelor of Science degree from Florida State University where I majored in Secondary English Education. Upon graduating I was selected to serve as a 2010 Teach For America Corps Member Teaching Middle School English in Houston, TX. After completion of my teaching requirements, I stayed within my placement school and moved into the college initiatives team specializing in personal statement development and ACT/SAT test prep. Upon returning to my hometown of Chicago, I continued working within the college admissions sector. I served as a program director within a local nonprofit organization providing college access and success programming that included building college lists, personal statement essay support, test prep, career exploration and development, application and financial aid/scholarship submission. Most recently, I worked as a college advisor for academically ambitious students throughout the entirety of the application process, including interview preparation for some of the top universities. As an educator and college advisor, I have worked with students who have major(ed) in Business and Entrepreneurship, Education, Pre-Health and Sciences, Engineering, Psychology, and more. With 12 years of experience within the education sector, I can provide the support and knowledge to help navigate the college application and selection process. I am passionate about providing a holistic approach to college counseling to include identifying best fit schools in which a student is going to feel academically challenged, successful, supported and happy. I specialize in working with each student's unique goals and work in partnership to provide the support and encouragement to ensure those goals are met. I believe in ensuring that students are able to have a safe space to work through the application process and a healthy mindset to achieve the goals set forth.

I hold a Bachelor’s degree from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Business Administration from The University of Michigan – Go Heels & Go Blue!! After graduating from UNC, I started my career as a college advisor where I helped guide students through the college application process, both in-person and virtually. As a first-generation college student, I am passionate about ensuring that students feel supported, uplifted, and encouraged through the college application process. I enjoy helping students craft their story to allow their strengths, their passions, and their authentic selves to shine in college applications. During my time as an advisor, I have had the honor of successfully advising students who have been accepted into top colleges and Ivy League schools across the US. Throughout my professional career I have gained experience as a College Advisor, an MBA student, a digital marketer, and a product manager. Understanding the importance of exploring your passions and pursuing your interests, I have had the opportunity to pivot and explore different opportunities – and I want to encourage you to also explore different pathways as you begin your college journey! The college application process doesn’t have to be stressful – I look forward to working with you to find colleges that are the best fit, craft your essays, and submit strong applications that you are proud of… and ensuring that we have fun along the way!

I hold my B.A. in Pre-Health Studies and Political Science from the University of Notre Dame, where I graduated in the Spring of 2021, Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, having completed a 4-year program in 3 years. I am a current first-year medical student at Indiana University School of Medicine, where I plan to graduate with my M.D. in 2027. Between my undergraduate and graduate studies, I spent two gap years exploring my interests: applying cutting-edge computational techniques to the study of a rare genetic disorder in a research lab at Notre Dame, studying the most effective policies to aid in the elimination of malaria on-site in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and working to gain insightful clinical experience in a hospital near my hometown. Prior to joining CollegeAdvisor.com, I helped both international and U.S. students craft successful applications to both undergraduate and graduate programs. I have personally experienced both undergraduate and medical school applications within the past few years and understand firsthand how daunting it can seem, but enjoy using my expertise to help guide students through the process. With CollegeAdvisor.com, I work mostly with students applying to careers in the health professions, including both conventional pre-medical paths and accelerated BS/MD programs.

17 + years of experience in College Admissions/Enrollment Management Professional at Vincennes University, Purdue University, Iowa State University, and the University of Louisville. Most recently served as Director of Admissions at Vincennes University. I love to build a trusting relationship with my students and provide guidance on the college application process. My goal is to put you on a path for success! I've recruited and helped guide thousands of students from all the across the US, Puerto Rico, and internationally.