University of Southern California

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.

Getting into college is becoming increasingly difficult day by day. With more students getting top scores and developing strong extracurricular backgrounds, it's extremely tough to set yourself apart. However, I can help with the nuanced components of each individual application, helping to build a cohesive, unique story that can maximize your chances. I have extensive experience advising students on undergraduate admissions, running my own independent admissions consultancy for multiple years. I have helped students get into many of the top schools in the United States, such as Northwestern, UChicago, Duke, and more. I view the college admissions process as holistic in nature -- meaning I will work with students to optimize each and every component of their application. Whether it be maximizing impact on the resume, crafting school-specific essays, or applying for competitive scholarships, I know what it takes to build the "complete package" necessary for admissions in today's age. I have a particular interest in writing, something I've been passionate about for as long as I can remember. I specialize in helping brainstorm, plan, and edit essays that are impactful for top-school admissions.

Hello! My name is Naomi Beckley and I am a recent graduate of Yale University. I majored in Global Affairs in addition to a certificate in Education Studies. I am very passionate about working towards a state of equity in education, particularly improving the quality of education and access to academic resources for marginalized students. I professionally hope to do so by attending law school and becoming involved with education policy and legislation. I have 4 years of experience of advising high school students through their college application processes, with my students going on to attend schools like Vanderbilt, University of Southern California, University of Wisconsin - Madison, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and University of Pennsylvania. I really enjoy the work that goes into being an advisor, particularly guiding a student in figuring out their college fit and reading essays. Super excited to meet and work with you on what will be a challenging but ultimately fulfilling journey!

I am a true military child, having grown up around the country and overseas. I am a proud alumna of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi where I received my BS in Health Sciences. I am also a graduate of The George Washington University where I received my Master of Public Health in Health Communications and Program Planning & Evaluation in January 2020. For over 8 years I worked in Admissions for TAMUCC including 3 and a half years recruiting in Houston and helped over 5,000 students. I currently work as an Academic Advisor for students pursuing graduate certificates, MD/MPH, Ph.D./MPH, DDS/MPH, MS/MPH, MBA/MPH, MSW/MPH, and JD/MPH programs at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health. I am very passionate about helping people in any aspect of their life. College is such an amazing, exciting experience and I love to be a guide for students to find their true fit for college. Can't wait to meet you and help you on this journey!

Hello! My name is Kassandra Casillas and I received my B.A from Amherst College in 2015 where I double majored in psychology and history. In 2020, I graduated from The University of Southern California, USC, with my master’s degree in Educational Counseling. I have 8 years of experience working in college advising, admissions and financial aid. While at Amherst, I advised QuestBridge senior scholars through the college and financial aid application process. After graduating, I worked as a college advisor for the USC College Advising Corps. There I advised an annual caseload of approximately 650 seniors with every aspect of the college application process, from creating college lists, to editing personal statements, to submitting scholarship applications and comparing financial aid awards. I also have experience as a comprehensive review reader for first year college applications for The University of California, Irvine. I transitioned from working as a college advisor to now working in financial aid. I am currently the Assistant Director of Financial Aid at Scripps College where I assist families as they navigate paying for college. I’m excited to partner with students that are ready to make the commitment to 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.

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!

I am a current senior at Dartmouth College and will be graduating in June of 2024 with a B.S. in Neuroscience and a double minor in Global Health in Anthropology and Human Biology in the pre-medical track. I am also a proud QuestBridge Scholar and Hispanic Scholarship Fund Scholar, both amazing programs that have guided, supported, and funded my undergraduate experience. In addition, in July of 2024, I will be starting medical school at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth as an early assurance MD candidate. Consequently, I have plenty of tips and hidden knowledge to share with anybody interested in these highly selective programs and scholarships, as well as the pre-health track, and would love to connect with anybody interested in exploring these opportunities and/or paths! In terms of my advising and mentorship experience, I began tutoring for regular subjects in early high school and later, during the latter half of my junior year, I tutored for the ACT and SAT. Today, I continue this work, but have also been working as a college counselor since June of 2020. Through my 5+ years of experience, I have learned to form close connections with my students as a student myself, meeting them where they are while guiding and supporting them through their college-preparation and application processes. In the past 3 years, I have worked with over 15 students in their college application process, all of which have received at least 3 college acceptances and most of which have been accepted into some of the most competitive colleges and universities in the country. While some of these students have been interested in the pre-health track, I have also worked with various students interested in law, engineering, computer science, humanities, performing arts, aviation, finance, business and entrepreneurship, and psychology. This has offered me the opportunity to become familiar with different colleges that have specialized programs as well as unique scholarships that students interested in certain academic areas can take advantage of! With my years of experience in the field in addition to my personal successes, I am knowledgeable of the curricular demands and extracurricular expectations of various disciplines. Furthermore, I have also had the privilege of working with 2 international students! Working with them helped me grasp the perspective of applying to college in the US as an international student, considering the financial, academic, lingual, and sociocultural challenges that come with being a foreigner. All in all, I am extremely passionate about mentoring and advising students who are going through what can be a very overwhelming and challenging process. I love listening to stories, asking inquisitive questions, giving constructive feedback, and forming close relationships with those I work with. Working hand in hand with both the students and their families, I hope to serve as a good resource that can answer questions, settle uncertainties, and find solutions. With these and the many more tools I have put under my belt, I help students figure out how to best express their goals based on their interests, talents, and values and guide them in effectively sharing their story - their who and why - to curate a wholesome and impressive application.

For three years, I coordinated two college access programs (i.e., I AM and SummerTIME) that focused on increasing college access among low-income L.A. Unified high school students by providing them tools and knowledge to ease their transition to college life. I have conducted research on digital interventions in high school and postsecondary settings, program evaluation of college access programs, and how skateboarders experience mental health and community. Prior to overseeing the college access programs, I served as the college advisor at Bell High School through the USC College Advising Corps where I supported the senior class of 670 students to successfully enroll in two- and four-year colleges by applying to college and for financial aid. I received both a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Southern California and a Master’s degree in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs. I am currently in a doctorate program at USC. My current role is a researcher at USC and admissions evaluator at UC Irvine. I have worked as an admissions evaluator for the last five years.