WHO WE ARE:

SAT prep doesn’t have to feel overwhelming.

The SAT is an opportunity to make a big, victorious statement.

I really believe this. No joke. However, I used to hate the SAT and thought it was an elitist, money-making, stress inducing scam. 

Here is how I discovered this test is an opportunity (and absolutely NOT a roadblock).

I have always loved sports and fitness. In college, I was a rower. I signed up as a freshman, with no idea what I was jumping into. It just looked cool. That first fall was brutal. I quickly learned just how hard rowing is. I knew there was a commitment involved, but the sheer size of that commitment, the relentless schedule, the all-gas-no-breaks mindset, was a definite shock to the system.

As that year went on, a lot of my friends quit. I was tempted to do the same. The thing is, I had - and still have - this part of me that needs to prove I can do anything I decide to do. (Feel free to start psychoanalyzing now!)

After rowing for all four of my years at Colgate University, I got my masters degree at Teachers College Columbia and became a high school teacher. I wanted to teach because I have this need to do something productive and  helpful, and I really like watching kids grow and improve.

I guess I took the same rowing mindset into teaching. When I faced an especially tough kid, I saw an opportunity - a challenge from which I couldn't back down. I fell in love with teaching, and I still love it. I have been in the classroom for over 20 years now. Everyday is different. Every kid is different. A new challenge awaits around every turn.

Then, one summer day, 8 years ago, a friend and I were on a run.

She was talking about her son: a young boy I had known for years, I could hear the stress in her voice as she spoke about the pressure she was feeling concerning the college application process. My kids were young at the time, and I didn’t know how to help.  I was not a guidance counselor or college consultant. 

I was, however, a person with a ton of experience when it came to helping high school kids push their limits, go beyond what they thought they could do, and achieve great things.

I was also an experienced expert at preparing kids for tests.

"Let me prep him for the SAT." I heard myself say.

She stopped running and grabbed my arm, "Oh wow. That would be amazing. I've been so worried about this."

And the journey began.

A System That Works When Students Follow It