Andy (he/him) attended Stanford and Oxford, earning degrees in Political Science and Drama. He has taught college classes in Los Angeles in Critical Thinking, Sociology, Anthropology of Media, English Composition, and Public Speaking, has helped students gain entrance to Stanford, the Ivies, U Chicago, Northwestern, and other top 25 schools every year for the past decade, and is particularly interested in working to address issues of equity and access in higher education. He has worked with hundreds of students over his career and has spent time living in California, England, Montana, and briefly New Zealand. Over his career, he’s developed a passion for intentional wandering, both in life and in the wilderness. Some of his most valued experiences in that regard include trekking 100km with his brothers to Machu Picchu during a 100-year storm, joining a Maori tribe in New Zealand, and wandering through Patagonia with his wife, Sage.

Liz S. (she/her) is a passionate college counselor, yoga teacher, and college essay coach. Liz has a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science & Photography from Allegheny College, a Master of Arts in Bilingual Education from the Universidad de Alcalá in Madrid, Spain, and a Certificate in College Counseling from the University of California at Los Angeles. Liz has worked in education for more than a decade - as a teacher, academic director, and curriculum writer. Her passion for college counseling began as an Assistant Director of Education at a non-profit organization, where she worked with first-generation high school students on college/scholarship applications, essays, and interviews to make higher education accessible. Liz has successfully coached students from diverse backgrounds to earn acceptance at large research institutions, small liberal arts colleges, and ivy league schools. She enjoys helping students find their authentic voice to express themselves, using their passions as a springboard to success. When she is not working with students or visiting college campuses, Liz enjoys traveling, yoga, playing with dogs, and going to the beach. She currently resides in Salem, MA.

Lyssa (she/her) is a writer and educator, originally from the Green Mountains of Vermont, living in Los Angeles. She holds a B.A. in Performance Studies from Northwestern and an M.A. in Theater & English Education from NYU. She's passionate about helping students discover and nurture their unique voice as writers and especially loves the creativity, attunement, empowerment, and connection involved in guiding students through the college essay process. Lyssa is a Teaching Artist for the Geffen Playhouse, where she leads theater workshops for schools and community groups, and a freelance tutor, editor, and ghostwriter when not working on her own scripts and essays. She has been a ninth grade English teacher in NYC public schools, education staff member at MCC Theater, and education consultant for The Moth. She's backpacked around the world solo and taught English to preschoolers in South Africa, job-seekers in Tanzania, and a crew of rowdy young monks in Nepal. You can usually find her in a theater, hiking with her dog, reading in the grass, or consuming maple syrup.

Margaret E. (she/her) is a passionate English educator who has worked in New York City public schools for more than a decade. As English Department Chair of her school, she provided Instructional Coaching for her department, growing other English teachers into more effective educators. She received two Bachelor of the Arts degrees, one in Comparative Literature and one in Spanish Language, from Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and she is fluent in Spanish. Afterward, she went on to study English Education at Teacher’s College, Columbia University. Margaret has taught countless writing courses, including AP English Language and Composition, as well as several Creative Writing classes. She also developed a College Essay writing curriculum herself, gently guiding hundreds of students through the process. Margaret firmly believes that creating an emotionally safe learning environment is essential to student growth and as a result, works hard to make sure students see her as a trustworthy ally and cheerleader. Her main objective always is to build her students’ confidence and empower them to feel comfortable taking academic and creative risks. Personal Narrative is her favorite genre to teach, as she sees it as an opportunity for incredible developmental and academic growth.

Melissa M. (she/her) earned her B.S. in sociology at Santa Clara University (summa cum laude) and is a current graduate student at Pepperdine University, where she is working toward a Masters in Psychology. The diversity of human experience she has encountered in her academic work goes hand in hand with another one of her passions: storytelling. As a published author, Melissa values the written word and its ability to convey emotion, inspiration, and the breadth of lived experiences. During her time at Santa Clara University, she helped high school students craft their college essays and guided them throughout the application process, placing special emphasis on making the work as feasible and rewarding as possible. Her students have been accepted at a variety of top institutions and programs around the US. She understands the whirlwind of emotions one experiences when applying to college, and as such, she prioritizes meeting students where they’re at and supporting them throughout their journey. In addition to obtaining her Master’s degree, Melissa is working on her third book (which means she knows what it’s like to be on the receiving end of tons of edits and comments!) and spends her free time swimming, singing, and cuddling with her three dogs: Maisie, Luna, and Winnie.

Tom (he/him) is an eternally "extra" Gemini who has spent the past seven years helping students and families navigate the college admissions process. Before joining College Essay Guy full-time as our inaugural Community Manager, he worked as a college counselor at a selective Seattle independent school and an admissions officer at Pomona College and the College of the Holy Cross (his alma mater). After college, Tom spent a year as a Jesuit Volunteers/AmeriCorps member at Catholic Charities Spokane, where he served as an Operations Assistant for a family services program called CAPA (Childbirth and Parenting Assistance). During this program, Tom lived with fellow volunteers who committed themselves to four core values: simple living, community, spirituality, and social and ecological justice. Tom first connected with CEG after reading a poignant essay from a Matchlighters student during his time in admissions at Pomona, and — thanks to additional advocacy from Ethan and some fighting spirit in the admissions committee room — this student was admitted on a full scholarship! He stans em dashes and semicolons, Kacey Musgraves (all eras, not just star crossed and Golden Hour), superior breakfast burritos, and alliterative moments. He works out begrudgingly, sings and dances feverishly, complains about space tourism incessantly, and uses way too many exclamation points. (He just took one out of that last sentence). Sitting here penning this bio, he’s reminded how challenging writing about oneself can be and how high stakes and it can feel — so you’ll find nothing but empathy and solidarity from him as you embark on your college essay journey!

Morgan is in her third year as the Director of College Counseling at College Essay Guy after spending her entire 20+ year career in college admissions and counseling. During her eight-year tenure in college admissions, she oversaw admission to an AACSB accredited Business School as a Senior Assistant Director of Admissions and application reader. She also spent 13 years supporting domestic and international students through the admissions process at two independent day and boarding schools in Massachusetts and North Carolina. At CEG, she prioritizes helping students be as successful as possible in the competitive landscape of highly selective admissions, while building rapport and trust with her students and families.

Recognized as a ‘Counselor That Changes Lives’ by the Colleges That Change Lives (CTCL) organization, Morgan promotes “a college search that focuses on the individual student and finding a college that will cultivate the student's lifelong love of learning.” She also cares deeply about her students feeling successful in the application process and has had students accepted at a wide range of colleges, including most of the Top 50 (US News Rankings) and many highly selective liberal arts colleges. Here are just a handful of the colleges she’s had students admitted to recently: NYU, USC, Tufts, Georgia Tech, CMU, UNC-Chapel Hill, all UC campuses, UVA, MIT, Emory, Princeton, Columbia, Duke, Villanova, Wisconsin, Lehigh, Middlebury, Northeastern, University of Florida, University of Rochester, Boston College, McGill, Purdue, RPI, Case Western, Loyola Marymount, George Washington, UC Boulder, TCU, UGA, University of Washington, and many more.

Not only is Morgan competitive with her approach to college admissions, but she also loves playing cards and board games, having fun with her spunky 9-year-old daughter, and traveling with her family. She’s a New England transplant based in the amazing college town of Chapel Hill, NC.

Education:

• B.A. Philosophy and Political Science
• M.Ed. Interdisciplinary Education
• Graduate Certificate in Counselor Education

Renee has spent the last 25 years supporting students through the college application process, including the last 4 years as one of the original College Essay Guy counselors. She has worked with students applying to colleges across the United States (and abroad) and loves diving into research to support students’ niche interests and high-achieving goals. She has advised students pursuing college athletics, performing arts programs, and military academies, as well as most academic disciplines. She helps students understand both what their college priorities are, and the ‘why’ behind it. She uses the knowledge she’s gained from touring over 200+ college campuses in the US, Canada, and the UK to guide students toward colleges that best fit their aspirations.

Renee’s experience working in both public and private schools, coupled with her roles on the Common App Advisory Board, NACAC’s advocacy work on Capitol Hill, and Co-Chairing SACAC’s NC State and Area Initiatives Committee, position her to advise students to maximize their potential. Her students have been accepted at a wide range of colleges, including many of the most highly selective colleges in the country (T50 and below USNWR), the Ivy League, HBCU’s, and top ranked liberal arts colleges. In recent years, her students have gotten admitted to Columbia, Dartmouth, Cornell, MIT, NYU, Wellesley, Northeastern, Barnard, all UC campuses, University of Michigan, Davidson, Brown, USC, Smith, Swarthmore, U Chicago, UGA, Ga Tech, Vanderbilt, UIUC, University of Washington, Scripps, Carnegie Mellon, UNC-Chapel Hill, Wash U, UT Austin, UVA, Wake Forest, Duke, Northeastern and countless others. Renee has supported students to get into almost every top ranked college during her long career as a college counselor.

When she’s not immersed in counseling and leading CEG’s Parent Community, she tends to her garden, dotes on her favorite dog, Pretzel, and travels the world (most recently to Antarctica and her new favorite city, Prague)!

Education:

• B.A. Psychology
• M.A. School Counseling
• Ed.S. Educational Leadership & Administration