Unlock Your Potential with Tailored 1:1 Tutoring

Zachary earned his Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature on a full-ride scholarship at the University of Florida, followed by his JD at Cornell Law School. With over a decade of tutoring experience, Zachary has also worked as a college and law school admissions counselor, providing him with a comprehensive understanding of how to support students in achieving their aspirations.

Zachary's life was forever changed by the influence of exceptional tutors, leading him to believe that it only takes one person to change someone’s life trajectory. Driven by this conviction, he is committed to offering the same transformative guidance to students. He specializes in SAT prep and AP and IB courses, including human geography. 

As a tutor, Zachary is easy-going, patient, ambitious, and creative. He recognizes the limitations of conventional learning models, especially for neurodivergent and differently-abled individuals. His teaching methodology goes beyond identifying knowledge gaps; it aims to reprogram behavioral routines. Zachary firmly believes that 99% of academic success is rooted in ordinary habits. He also acknowledges the emotional aspect of the learning process, understanding that feelings of shame or guilt can impede meaningful progress. Therefore, he adopts a holistic approach to academic and standardized testing improvement.

Zachary's tutoring methods are grounded in scientifically proven learning principles, ensuring their effectiveness. He emphasizes Socratic dialogue, cognitive reframing, and the importance of taking breaks. To keep sessions engaging, he incorporates humor, personal anecdotes, introspection, and contextualization. Zachary also excels at customizing sessions for each student, always taking the time to understand their unique profile before diving in, as he knows that a one-size-fits-all approach rarely works.

In his free time, Zachary enjoys playing video games, doodling, cooking, learning foreign languages, watching movies and TV shows, and collecting consumer product packaging from around the world.

Eric is pursuing his Master’s degree and  PhD from the University of Illinois Chicago. He has an extensive background in education, working as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at The University of British Columbia and the University of Illinois Chicago. Throughout his career, Eric has assisted undergraduates with graduate/professional admissions and helped high school students with their undergraduate applications.

Eric has dedicated his career to education due to his deep curiosity about the world around him. He is passionate about coaching college applicants and strives to help students access an environment where they can shape their unique education, often for the first time. Recognizing the immense stress of the admissions process at every level, from undergraduate to doctorate, Eric understands that students must market themselves and create materials while juggling current courses, jobs, and hobbies. Having personally benefited from the guidance of others, he appreciates the comfort and support that coaching provides. 

His ultimate goal as a college admissions coach is to provide direction for successful applications and offer unwavering support and guidance during this exciting and transformative period in students' lives. As a coach, one of Eric’s greatest strengths is his strong personal connection to the university environment. It allows him to help students discover their intrinsic motivations for pursuing higher education, enabling them to craft compelling narratives for their applications. His diverse educational background also allows him to relate to various students and cater to their needs. 

Eric’s solid professional background in coaching and teaching helps him approach students with experience, confidence, and a sense of security. Notably, candidates Eric has coached have gained acceptance to prestigious institutions such as Caltech, Dartmouth, Harvard, and Columbia.

In his spare time, Eric enjoys practicing and coaching Taekwondo, rock climbing and running, playing the piano and guitar, embarking on hiking and backpacking adventures, and indulging his passion for travel.

Pratishta graduated with a Bachelor’s from UCLA and a Master’s from New York University. Professionally, Pratishta is the Assistant Director of Beyond Akeela, where she oversees a residential summer college readiness program for neurodivergent teens. She has led numerous workshops on mock interviews, resume development, writing an effective college essay, and creating a road map from high school to college. She has helped 30+ students get accepted to the University of California Berkeley and New York University, among others. 

Pratishta’s passion for admissions counseling comes from her belief that every person has a unique, awesome story waiting to be shared. However, she acknowledges that effectively presenting these strengths can be challenging. Pratishta’s affinity for admissions counseling stems from her own journey of navigating the process alone. She gained invaluable insights, and it brings her immense joy to pay it forward by guiding students toward realizing their aspirations.

Pratishta’s teaching style focuses on strengths and building a strong relationship first. She is easy-going and loves having fun and getting to know every person she connects with. Pratishta thrives on structure and loves letting applicants take the lead while providing a lot of scaffolding. As a coach, Pratishta believes in meeting students where they are and helping them reach their best, helping them hone in on what they want to improve, and offering clear solutions to make progress together. Pratishta excels at breaking down tasks effectively into smaller steps, getting the difficult tasks out of the way first, and building in short breaks and fun activities during sessions. 

Outside of coaching, Pratishta loves to box, cook, hike, kayak, and discover amazing restaurants. She’s also an avid adventure sports fan and has been skydiving and bungee jumping.