Elaine Oghoore is a junior at Brown University, where she is pursuing a degree in Business Economics. Originally from Lagos, Nigeria, she is passionate about a career in financial services. Before attending Brown, Elaine graduated from The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut. In addition to her academic pursuits, she co-founded Sweet Rush Nigeria, a homemade bakery known for its delicious banana bread. Elaine is committed to combining her entrepreneurial spirit with a strong inte...

Jasper Burns is a Stanford Law student and Knight-Hennessy Scholar. He served 8 years in the U.S. Navy, flying EA-18G Growlers, deploying aboard the USS Carl Vinson, and later supporting the intelligence community in D.C. He also served as a White House Social Aide and concluded his Navy career as a Military Fellow at McKinsey & Company. He graduated from Boston University with a double major in Computer Science and Economics, interned at the White House, studied Chinese in Shanghai...

Michael Lee, member of the AIGAC & an Ivy League-educated Professional American Filmmaker, helps you weave an authentic story that leaves the admissions committee in awe! The Ivy Dream LLC is the only admissions consultancy that refunds 50% to clients if they don’t get in to one of their preferred schools. In this podcast, we humanize Ivy League students for you by sharing their unique journeys and struggles! We hope that this podcast gives you the audacity to fly and to “aspire” to get i...

Danielle Mikaelian is a Columbia University graduate with a BA in English Literature. She occupied positions on over ten Columbia executive boards, being named Columbia's 2021 Student of the Year, a King's Crown Leadership and Excellence Award Recipient for Community Building, a Robert Harron Award recipient, an Alumni Prize Finalist, and a member of the National Residence Hall Honorary. Some highlights of Danielle's Columbia experience included serving as Wellness Chair for Columbia's underg...

Bill De La Rosa is a JD/PhD candidate at Yale Law School and Oxford University, Hurst Horizon Scholar, writer, and public speaker. Raised in South Tucson, Arizona, he became the primary caregiver for his family following his mother’s removal from the United States during his sophomore year of high school. Bill graduated from Bowdoin College Phi Beta Kappa with degrees in Sociology and Latin American Studies, receiving notable awards such as the Dell, Gates Millennium, and Truman Scholarships....

Kenzie Elizabeth is a performing artist who is currently earning her MM in Vocal Performance: Musical Theatre at New York University. In 2018, she attended American Musical and Dramatic Academy (LA & NY campus) for a year before transitioning to Western Oregon University, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BFA in Acting. Her original music has an Alt-Pop feel with similarities to artists such as Sara Bareilles, Regina Spektor, and Fiona Apple. She also takes inspiration fro...

Lesley Yupa is a first-year student at New York University studying psychology and global public health. Passionate about health and education equity, she hopes to pursue a career within the medical field as a physician. Lesley worked in the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, where she helped verify physicians and practices membership databases and payments throughout the COVID-19 vaccine support program and assisted in the Data Collection for Equity Program. She conducts DNA Nanot...

Kuzey Kantarcıoğlu is a first-year student at Stanford University with an interest in computer science and linguistics. Fascinated by the function of language in both humans and computers, he aspires to advance AI language models. Originally from Istanbul, Turkey, he was an international college applicant. Outside of academics, he enjoys learning new languages and playing guitar, drums and trumpet. You can get in touch with him at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kkuzey/

Born in New Jersey and raised in Mexico and Philadelphia, Ben is a senior at Brown University studying International and Public Affairs and Entrepreneurship. He also serves as a mentor and business advisor to graduate student founders in Harvard Business School's Field X and Field Y courses. Ben has experience building companies, including his own, in industries such as technology, social media, entertainment, and education. He has performed internal risk management consulting for Goldma...

Andrew Steen is the Founder of Laptis, a tech-enabled platform that streamlines access to effective substance use treatment. Andrew started Laptis as an extension of his deep desire for public service and social impact after he left the military. Andrew is also a rising fourth-year JD/MBA student at Harvard University and a graduate of Vanderbilt University, where he got his B.A. in Mathematics. Prior to Harvard and Laptis, Andrew was an Army Ranger.

Machmud Makhmudov is a JD/MBA candidate at Stanford, Knight-Hennessy Scholar, political organizer, writer, and higher-ed admissions coach. Born in Uzbekistan, he grew up near Atlanta and played baseball at Oberlin College, where he studied Politics and earned both a Truman and Rhodes Scholarship. After reading for an MPhil in Political Theory at Oxford, Machmud worked in speechwriting and on a number of political campaigns, including the Biden 2020 campaign. He also worked at the White...

Hayley Batson (she/her) is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She received a BFA in Theatre, studying at The Atlantic Acting School, Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, and Stonestreet Studios as well as minoring in Producing. Hayley is continually pursuing opportunities in the entertainment industry and loves collaborating with other artists whether in front of the camera or behind the scenes. You can get in touch with her at hwbatson@gmail.com ...

Subham grew in a small village called Bidhan Nagar in northeastern India – a region graced by the proximity of four nations: Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, and Nepal. This exposure to a myriad of traditions kindled in him an aspiration that transcended the conventional. He received his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur – the oldest IIT, inaugurated in 1951 by Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s inaugural Prime Minister. Subham advanced his educatio...

Meet Parizoda Asatilloyeva, a first-year international student majoring in Political Science at Columbia University. “Hailing from a small city in Uzbekistan, my transition to the bustling metropolis of New York has been nothing short of transformative. The rich combination of academic and cultural experiences here has broadened my perspectives in ways I never anticipated. At Columbia, I've had the privilege of connecting with individuals from every corner of the globe. This diversity not on...

Born in Tokyo, Japan and raised in Geneva, Switzerland, John chose to open doors in his career rather than follow his family’s path of becoming a medical doctor. After graduating from Collège du Léman, he went on to read Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge. He began his career in London, UK as a technical business development for a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization in the Pharmaceutical Industry. It was then that his started to recogni...

“I definitely felt like I wasn’t supposed to be there but I know that a lot of people felt the same way. You just have to trust that people (on the admissions committee) put you there for a reason...”, reflects Madison Halla, while talking about feeling the imposter syndrome. Madison Halla is a current senior studying musical theatre at NYU Steinhardt, class of 2024. She grew up in northern VA. She is passionate about helping others fill in gaps of knowledge that she once had concerning the ...

“I remember when I landed I was listening to ‘The Empire State of Mind’, which is the classical New York song and I was in a little bit of shock and I had a little bit of fear and I was so excited, like I had a lot of feelings but I came with an open mind that this could be anything..” reminisces Polina, a New York University undergrad. Polina Tyurikova is majoring in Psychology with a minor in Business Studies. She is from Moscow and attended a private boarding school in Switzerland f...

Born and raised in Aurangabad, India, a city famed for its Taj Mahal replica and mesmerizing caves, Prateek hails from a family of educators. Although he grew up playing multiple sports, a career in sport didn't materialize, leading him to pursue a bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. He began his career at Bain & Company as a management consultant. After strategizing pro-bono for not-for-profits, he transitioned to The Bridgespan Group...

“During my time at Rosey, I did student campaigns that advocated for the creation of more resources for the student body like new period-product dispensers and I also helped negotiate with the administration to introduce new forms of sex education on campus..”, recounts Ali, a first year Yale undergrad student about his student advocacy projects that helped him stand out to the admissions committee. Tune in to listen to Ali talk about his unique journey in the second episode of Aspire, our hi...

“Anytime I leave the library, in the corridors, in the hallway, I always hear so many languages but I almost never hear English...”, exclaims Valeriya while talking about the support system of international students at Columbia University as they navigate college life together through their shared struggles. In this episode, listen to Valeriya talk about her college applications, getting into her dream school and the turmoil of moving to a different continent at 18. Valeriya is a first year ...