For over 20 years, Leonora has helped college applicants, many of whom have gone on to attend their first-choice undergraduate and graduate programs, including Yale, Penn, Columbia, NYU Tisch, Harvard, MIT, and the University of Chicago.

A born teacher, Leonora has a passion for education and helping others find their voices. Leonora has taught at USC, Oxbridge Academic Programs, and Los Angeles High School of the Arts. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Yale, where she majored in American Studies and was instrumental in creating the university’s African American Studies Digital Library database. Leonora later earned her MFA in film production from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts.

Leonora spent her youth in competitive gymnastics and enjoys a dedicated noncompetitive adult practice. She also enjoys singing, yoga, and teaching her slightly internet-famous dog, Penny Loggins, to do advanced tricks like spelling and counting.

With over ten years of experience as an editor and over six years of experience as an educator and admissions strategist, Liz helps each student find the voice that makes their application stand out, leaving her students with a greater understanding of both mechanics (structure, clarity, and flow) and the power of their own stories. She strives to help students shape their personal experiences into a narrative that allows their own unique perspective to shine.

Liz holds a BA in Rhetoric and a BA in Political Economy from the UC Berkeley, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa and received Highest Honors for her thesis on the rhetoric of the EU’s debate on Turkish accession. She earned her MFA in Fiction from NYU, where she had worked with authors like Rick Moody, Zadie Smith, and Jonathan Safran Foer. An active literary critic and member of the National Book Critics Circle, Liz has served on the committee for the Barrios Prize for Works in Translation since 2022.

Soliana has spent the last 15 years supporting teens as they synthesize their experiences into beautiful, creative college applications. They began working with students on the admissions process while living in London, where they also advised college counselors across the UK through the Fulbright Commission. Soliana loves empowering students to tell their own stories.

Soliana received their A.B. in English and American Literature from Harvard University,  an MA in Image and Communication from Goldsmiths, and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where they received the New Artist Society Award. Soliana works across media to create self-portraits, sculptures, films, paintings, and collaborative group exercises. They published their first book, save your selves, in 2022 (Irrelevant Press). Soliana has participated in residencies and exhibitions in Ibiza, Addis Ababa, London, Milan, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Chattanooga and New York.