IB Program and Exam Support: Actionable Prep, Reinvented

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.

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!

Natalia graduated summa cum laude from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Science in English/Language Arts Teacher Education. With a passion for student success, she has been tutoring for over 12 years. Her experience includes teaching middle school English language arts for nine years, instructing English as a second language online to students in China for two years, tutoring for an afterschool program for two years, assisting adult students with high school equivalency exams for nearly a decade, and teaching an ACT class in college.

Natalie's passion for tutoring stems from her belief that personalized learning is difficult to achieve in a classroom setting. Through tutoring, she can adapt her approach to meet the specific strengths and needs of each student. She specializes in ACT and SAT tutoring.

Natalie keeps her tutoring sessions light to make the learning and testing process less stressful. She aims to create a warm, welcoming, and comfortable learning environment, even through a computer screen. By breaking down complex concepts into manageable ideas, Natalie helps students grasp challenging material with confidence and ease. Leveraging diagnostics and data analysis, she pinpoints areas of potential growth for each student. She expertly selects appropriate challenges that maintain student motivation while ensuring they experience success and growth without feeling overwhelmed or defeated. 

Natalie’s strengths as a tutor lie in her ability to make SAT and ACT concepts relatable and engaging for students. By tapping into their interests, she helps them form meaningful connections to the material. She's also adept at helping students overcome learning obstacles by recognizing when they need a break and shifting focus to a more manageable topic. This allows students to return to challenging areas with a fresh perspective. Natalie is committed to understanding the root cause of any obstacles students face. Once identified, she works diligently to untangle these barriers, providing tailored support and scaffolding to help students navigate them effectively.

Some fun facts about Natalie are that her hero is Dolly Parton, she's been a dedicated Taylor Swift fan for years, she showcased her musical talents by playing the flute in high school band, and to add to the harmony, her husband is a musician. Vanderbilt was her dream school, and she cherished every moment as a Commodore, forming lifelong bonds with friends she’s still close with today.