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Nailah earned a BA from Brown University, where she served in the Brown Elementary Afterschool Mentoring program and the Brown Tutoring Corps. She has also served as a teaching associate at the National Presbyterian School. Having personally experienced the intricate and often overwhelming college application process, Nailah empathizes deeply with students. Her passion lies in providing guidance, ensuring that every student, regardless of their background, has the necessary tools to succeed and find their perfect college fit. 

Driven by a lifelong commitment to serving others, admissions counseling has become Nailah’s platform for channeling her passion for higher education. Her love for education and natural inclination towards organization and project management enable her to structure the college application process and alleviate students’ stress through strategic planning. The joy and fulfillment she experiences when students reach their milestones is immeasurable as she merges her skills with her passion for helping others.

Nailah’s teaching style fosters motivation, provides reassurance, and builds strong relationships with students. She believes in empowering others by creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment where students feel valued and respected. Nailah is highly perceptive and quickly recognizes when students feel overwhelmed or stressed. When this happens, she prioritizes offering encouragement and reassurance, helping them overcome obstacles and believe in their abilities. 

Furthermore, Nailah aims to establish a positive rapport with students, which allows for open communication and mutual trust. She believes in giving students autonomy, allowing them to take ownership of their journey and make decisions that are best for them while offering support and expertise to navigate the complexities of the process effectively. Nailah is always open to feedback from students, seeing it as an opportunity for growth and improvement. By actively listening to their input, she can better tailor her teaching approach to meet their needs and empower them to achieve their full potential.

One effective tactic she utilizes to keep students motivated is celebrating milestones throughout the college application process, regardless of their size. She firmly believes in the power of positive reinforcement to bolster motivation and self-esteem. By acknowledging and celebrating each achievement, Nailah provides students with the encouragement and recognition they need to stay motivated and engaged in their journey toward college admission.

As a counselor, Nailah serves as a candidate’s biggest cheerleader and demonstrates unwavering support at every turn. She is honest and empathetic and believes in transparent and compassionate communication to ensure students feel heard and understood. Above all, Nailah's priority is to convey to students that she is here to support them wholeheartedly. 

When she’s not working, Nailah loves sports, especially college women’s basketball and track and field. You can often find her playing volleyball and working out. She also likes to read non-fiction books and loves musical theater. She grew up acting, singing, and dancing and loves all the performing arts.

Katherine earned a BA from Duke University, where she achieved ACC Honor Roll status and made the Dean’s List, before earning her MEd at Southern Methodist University. At Duke, Katherine was a Division 1 athlete, team captain of the varsity swim team, and four-year letterwinner. Katherine has eight years of college admissions counseling experience as a College and Career Counselor and Dean of College Prep at Uplift Education, a nonprofit organization that operates a network of 45 high-performing, tuition-free, public charter schools serving 23,000 students in under-served areas across the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. 

She also served as a Corps Member for Teach for America. Katherine has coached 500+ students who have been accepted to MIT, Brown, UChicago, WashU in St. Louis, Johns Hopkins University, NYU, and Notre Dame, among others.

Katherine became interested in admissions counseling because of how grateful she is for her own college experience. Katherine realized how lucky she was to have parents, friends, and family who had been to college and could support her through the application process. She also felt privileged to have been a recruited athlete. But she recognizes that not everyone is as lucky, and felt called to help others have a positive experience with college. 

Katherine values communication and recognizes the importance of getting to know students holistically at the start of a counseling partnership. There are so many factors involved in finding the "best-fit college," and Katherine’s passion stems from her love of talking to students, listening to them, and helping them develop plans for their futures. She thrives on the relationships she’s built with students and it brings her joy to check in with them throughout their college and post-college years and see them find success.

Katherine excels at empowering others by listening to them in a way that makes them feel heard and respected. When she offers her opinions or advice, students recognize Katherine’s collaborative teaching style and know she is not trying to change their minds or make them take a path that's not for them. While students know she is available any time of day for help, Katherine loves to empower students to figure things out in their own way before collaborating with her for help. 

As a counselor, Katherine is organized and reliable. One of her favorite parts of college counseling is the personal statement. She loves helping students reflect on their lives to come up with a compelling topic, and her essay editing style helps students find and maintain their voices. Katherine is a guide with extensive experience that helps her empower students to feel confident in their submissions and decisions.

Katherine believes that the most important tactic for keeping students motivated is to build a relationship with them first to ensure they know she understands what they’re going through and that it’s okay to take breaks and practice self-care while working toward a successful future. Katherine tells students to think about the morning after high school graduation and to imagine that feeling of what's coming next, to make sure they have a solid plan because entering "the real world" is not easy.

Outside of work, she loves to spend time outside with her husband and four-year-old daughter, Emma. Katherine was diagnosed with celiac disease in her junior year of college, but she doesn’t mind being gluten-free because cooking makes her happy, and she loves trying new recipes, and finding gluten-free bakeries and new restaurants. She tries to work out or walk every day and loves to play tennis with her husband. She also enjoys reading, listening to music, and watching TV shows that make her cry (either happy or sad tears!).

Prior to attending the University of California, Berkeley, to obtain his Bachelor of Arts, Sebastian completed his Associate of Arts from Mt. San Antonio College. Before attending Berkeley, Sebastian served as a head counselor for Eduexplora, where he mentored over 150 students from Latin American countries. During his time at Berkeley, Sebastian was an Undergraduate Research Apprentice and Undergraduate Student Admissions Advisor, where he guided prospective and current applicants through the undergraduate admissions process.

As a low-income student who navigated the complexities of the application process with limited resources, Sebastian developed a deep passion for admissions counseling. Despite these obstacles, he received crucial guidance from a few mentors who believed in his potential and helped him gain admission to college. This experience instilled in him a profound determination to pay forward the transformative impact that mentorship and support can have on student success. Sebastian's passion for admissions counseling is rooted in his desire to level the playing field for students from underprivileged backgrounds. He firmly believes that every student deserves access to the resources and support necessary to pursue higher education.

As a coach, Sebastian is outgoing, empathetic, and driven by the genuine desire to see every student succeed. He maintains a warm and approachable demeanor, creating a comfortable space where students feel valued, respected, understood, and supported. He openly shares personal stories that students can relate to, emphasizing that challenges and setbacks are part of the journey to success. 

Sebastian believes that effective teaching begins with active listening, understanding the individual needs and learning styles of each student, and tailoring his approach accordingly. He also believes in the power of constructive criticism, which he always delivers with empathy and respect. By helping students identify their strengths and weaknesses, he enables them to take proactive steps toward their personal and academic growth. Emphasizing the importance of self-reflection, he also encourages his students to critically evaluate their own progress, fostering a deeper understanding of their capabilities and potential. 

Outside of coaching, Sebastian enjoys going to the gym, reading books, and playing FIFA. He is currently also learning Portuguese, which takes up a lot of his free time!