University of California – San Diego

I graduated from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) to obtain a Bachelor's of Science degree in Computational Systems and Biology with a concentration in Dynamic Modeling. Before my time at UCLA, I attended community college at Mount San Antonio College (Mt.SAC) with an Associates of Science degree in Biology. During my time at Mt.SAC I was involved in several societies such as the computer science club, ACES, COPE Health Scholars, and the Honors Program. When transfer season came along, I frequently visited the transfer center and gathered advice from the honors center in getting advice on certain techniques and things to look out for when applying to several schools. From these sources I was able to nurture my experience and strengthen my background to transfer to a university of my choosing. Prior to CollegeAdvisor, I spent time researching at the UCLA MCDB Pellegrini Lab which specialized in epigenomic research. Within my major, the main issues we tackle are biological problems and solving them computationally. During my time as a student researcher, I had the opportunity to explore different fields of research, including bird speech signals, canine ancestry, coral reef restoration, and biomechanics, among others. Each student came from a different concentration, such as Bioinformatics, Biological Data Sciences, Biomedical Systems, NeuroSystems, and Systems Biology. Despite taking specialized courses, I had the opportunity to study and collaborate with individuals majoring in Computer Science, Biology, Chemistry, Bioengineering, Electrical Engineering, and other disciplines. I understand that the list of majors and titles can be overwhelming at times, and I hope to guide you throughout your application process to find your own major.

Apart from advising, I enjoy hiking, exercising at the gym and other niche hobbies like building mechanical keyboards.

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.

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.

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.

Hello and welcome to my page! I have a BA in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. I hold my MS in Educational Counseling from National University. I have eight years of counselor experience in the academic, college, and career needs of diverse high school student populations:

• Students with Disabilities,
• English Learners,
• Homeless/Foster Youth,
• Low Income and/or First Generation,
• Gifted and Talented Students

My experience in the college application process ranges from college eligibility requirements for various college systems to guiding students to apply to college and financial aid. In between this process, providing guidance to students, but not limited to:

• Developing their college lists and college majors based on their interests and research,
• Step-by-step college application process,
• Essay brainstorming and editing/revisions,
• Applying to scholarship/internship/volunteer opportunities.

What drives me to continue being a counselor/college advisor? It is the students!

This is a major step in their lives that can be filled with a lot of emotions and uncertainty at times. With the student and their family leading the way in the college application journey, I am a resource of support and guidance to make this process as pleasant and exciting as possible.

I look forward to working and guiding your students on their college application journeys.

The college admission process is hard and overwhelming. And this hasn’t changed from when I was a high school student applying to colleges 20 years ago to being a college counselor for over 15 years. The truth is that students and their families need as much support to successfully navigate through the system to make the process easier and less stressful. My experience in high school was what drew me into college advising. I graduated from UCLA with my B.A. in Psychology. As a new college graduate, I knew I wanted to help students transition to college more smoothly than I did after I graduated as salutatorian of my high school class. Although I had migrated to the U.S. in the 5th grade, I was clueless about the college admission process in high school. My parents as immigrants spoke highly of education being the pathway to freedom but were also unfamiliar with the college process in the U.S. It wasn’t until the 11th grade when I overheard my classmates talking about applying to their ideal colleges and taking the SAT and ACT exams that I found out that you had to apply to college before you could be accepted. This led to visiting my college counselor for the first time and spending sleepless nights studying for the SAT, writing personal statements and essays for scholarships like the Gates Millennium Scholarship. I ended up applying to UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, UC Irvine, Cal State Northridge, and Cal State Los Angeles and got accepted to all of them to my surprise. I also got the Gates Millennium Scholarship! I have worked with students who have received admissions to the UCs, USC, LMU, Boston University, Stanford, Chapman University, American University, Pomona College majoring in the Arts and Humanities, Business, Finance, Public Health, Biology, Chemistry, Pre-Med, Computer Science, and Engineering, to name a few. I am passionate about supporting students through the college admission process and helping them to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Besides having academic rigor, I love helping students identify their strengths and illuminate the uniqueness of who they are and their story.

I have more than 18 years of experience working in higher education, from scholarships administration, undergraduate teaching and advising, curriculum development, academic research, leadership development and training to program management. My work as an administrator, scholar, mentor, and teacher is grounded on my commitment to justice, diversity, and serving underrepresented communities in education. Currently, I oversee a student success programming at UC Berkeley supporting about 200 scholars each year. I focus on removing barriers in higher education to make education accessible and on creating programming that fosters our scholars' personal, academic, and professional growth. I hold an undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley in English and Political Science as well as a doctoral degree in Literature from UC Santa Cruz with an emphasis on Asian American Studies, Critical Theory, Postcolonial Studies, Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, and Cultural Studies. I mentor many students and have helped them get accepted to top colleges, both public and private universities such as Harvard, Cornell, Brown, UC Berkeley, Georgia Tech, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, UW, University of Virginia, University of Florida, Purdue, UCLA, UCSD, UCI, UC Davis, UCR, UC Santa Cruz, Rutgers, UIUC, Baylor, Spelman, and many more. I love working with students, especially in helping them realize their own potential and guiding them though their academic and personal growth. I cannot wait to meet with you and help you shine in your essays!