Our Specialists
Gilli
Senior Essay & Application Specialist
Gilli is a Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude graduate of Barnard College, Columbia University, where she majored in Anthropology, earning departmental honors for her senior thesis. Gilli worked in the Barnard Office of Admissions for three years, granting her an inside look at college admissions. A professional writer, she has been working as a college essay coach and application specialist for over a decade and enjoys guiding students through both the creative writing and logistical portions of the application process. In addition to working one-on-one with students, Gilli has led college essay writing workshops throughout Los Angeles and continues to expand her coaching abilities by participating in regular trainings under the tutelage of Alexandra Dumas Rhodes. She enjoys helping students find their voices and develop a passion for writing to serve them not only in their college essays, but also in their future writing endeavors. Gilli's college essay students have been accepted to institutions such as Princeton, Columbia, Barnard, Harvard, UChicago, UPenn, Stanford, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Cornell, Emory, Wesleyan, USC, Sarah Lawrence, Bard, NYU, Brandeis, the University of Michigan, USC, UCLA, and UC Berkeley. In addition to guiding undergraduate applicants, Gilli also has extensive experience working with law school, medical school, and graduate school applicants. Gilli is currently the Director of Operations for Rhodes Educational.
Ross
Essay & Application Specialist
Ross brings two decades of professional experience as a writer (fiction/nonfiction/personal narrative, screenwriting, journalism) into each college essay tutoring session. An experienced educator with an MFA in creative writing, Ross understands that every student writes differently. He is skilled at helping his students elevate their writing to compelling and original personal narratives that express who they are in their own words. Ross’ students do more than produce a piece of writing to attach to an application; they achieve the demanding writing standards that will be expected of them at the university level. Ross’ students have gained admission to universities including Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Brown, and Caltech. He particularly enjoys working with creative and artistic students. Ross also helps students with borderline grades not only gain admittance to a four-year college but also have options to choose from. Whatever kind of student your child is, Ross is excited to help them meet their goals!
Kala
Essay & Application Specialist
Kala graduated magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and with Departmental Honors from Barnard College of Columbia University with a BA in Political Science and Music. She also holds an MMus degree in Opera Performance from The Boston Conservatory. Kala is also a small business owner and enjoys working with students who are interested in entrepreneurship. Fluent in Spanish and highly proficient in German and French, Kala’s diverse cultural, educational, professional, and lived experiences have required her to communicate in many different languages, tones, and media. She loves working with students to uncover the stories deep within them and help them discover their own unique voice – especially when that voice lands them admission to the college of their choice! Kala is entering her eighth season as an application specialist with Rhodes Educational and has had students admitted to colleges such as Barnard, Northwestern, Duke, Rice, Tulane, the Universities of Michigan, Miami, Washington, and Wisconsin, American University and American University of Paris, Wake Forest, and the UCs.
Chana
Art Portfolio & Art School Application Specialist
Chana is a Fine Artist, Graphic Designer, Trainer, Public Speaker, and Art Portfolio Specialist. Chana offers students the creative consulting, technical skills, and direction needed in order to obtain admission to art programs, and her students have been accepted to top programs including Pratt, NYU, and The New School based off of their portfolio assessments. In addition to working privately with students, Chana has been teaching at the university level for over 30 years in the fields of Fine Art and Digital Imaging at top art schools including UCLA, the USC School of Cinematic Arts and Annenberg School of Journalism, Otis College, FIDM, and the Parsons School of Design, and she has consulted on incoming fine art portfolios and applications for such institutions. Chana is also an Adobe Certified Expert/Instructor. You can see her exhibiting art at https://www.behance.net/chanaart.
Rachel
Film, Television, Theater Portfolio & Application Specialist
Bio available upon request.