Customized English Language Tutoring: Learning and Confidence Starts Here

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!).

Amanda graduated cum laude with a BS from Villanova University before pursuing an MBA from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. With extensive admissions counseling experience, Amanda's journey began with a two-year tenure on the Ross School of Business Admissions Student Committee. In this role, she served as both an interviewer and applicant evaluator. Additionally, she served as a College Coach with ScholarMatch, where she guided students in finding their ideal college fit, reviewed SAT/ACT policies, finalized college lists, edited essays, secured recommendation letters, and assisted with applications for financial aid and scholarships. 

Professionally, Amanda’s career has spanned the financial, software, and nonprofit industries. Her experience includes marketing communications, program development, strategic planning, and new business development. She has worked for several notable companies, including JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley.

For Amanda, the most rewarding aspect of her work is passing along her skills and knowledge. She finds it extremely fulfilling to help change the trajectory of someone's future by laying down the foundation for lifelong learning by guiding students through college decisions. 

As a coach, Amanda prioritizes collaboration and rapport with students, recognizing that trust is fundamental in these relationships. She maintains open lines of communication, ensuring students know they can always rely on her as she is there to support them on their personal journeys. She also excels at staying organized; she sets realistic goals and deadlines while maintaining high expectations for both her students and herself. 

Drawing from her admissions experience, she knows committee members look for applicants who demonstrate genuine interests that align with their institution. She ensures each student's passion shines through in their applications and always highlights the positive aspects of their background. 

In her free time, Amanda likes to travel, go on nature walks, practice yoga, and read.

Simone earned a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Design and Ecolocy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as well as a minor in Visual and Media Studies from Duke University. She has over eight years of tutoring experience, including teaching English as a second language to German and Spanish-speaking students. Professionally, Simone has also worked in public health and education as a UNC Global Gap Year Fellow and with an affordable housing agency in Chapel Hill.

Simone’s passion for tutoring stems from her desire to contribute to students’ learning processes. She likes to plant an idea in someone's head and watch it grow into a tree of their own knowledge. In other words, she loves to amplify students' ownership over their learning. She specializes in SAT tutoring as well as English, history, and algebra tutoring at all levels, including AP and IB.

As a tutor, Simone is collaborative and playful. She recognizes students as leaders in their learning journeys, and she incorporates optimism and play into her lessons to diminish feelings of anxiety or dread. Her tutoring is entirely student-centered and designed to empower students.

Some of Simone’s greatest strengths as a tutor include her ability to keep students motivated and engaged. When a student needs encouragement, she can be firm and steadfast, but supportive. She uses positive reinforcement, pep talks, feedback from students, and breaks as needed. Simone also connects content to real-world examples relevant to each student's life so that it can be grounded in something familiar and useful to them.

In her free time, Simon likes to dance, listen to music, try new foods, and travel. She took a gap year before starting college and spent three months in Mexico and another three months in Colombia.