Quincy Jones, Assistant Director at UC Berkeley Admissions
Quincy Jones graduated from UC Berkeley in 2010 with a B.A. in American Studies minoring in African American Studies and Creative Writing. He has a demonstrated history of working in higher education helping students develop their college access knowledge. He is currently pursuing a Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree focused in Equity and Social Justice in Education from San Francisco State University.
Catherine Noonan, Founder and Lead Consultant of College Happy
Catherine Noonan is passionate about the possibilities higher education holds for students. She has worked closely with seniors to provide resume-building assistance and personal essay outlining, brainstorming, and editing guidance. She continues to advance professionally by staying on top of higher education trends and changes to best serve College Happy students and families.
Monica Rude, College Counselor at Collegewise
Monica Gallego Rude has spent the entirety of her career working in admissions both in the United States and internationally. She enjoys helping students of all academic interests and backgrounds find and tell their best stories in their personal statements so they can ultimately be admitted to and attend their best-fit universities. Her students have been admitted to a variety of highly selective colleges, including both Ivy League and Russell Group institutions.
Nandita Gupta, College Counselor at Collegewise
Nandita Gupta founded Enlighten Education Consulting after spending over a decade working with hundreds of individuals, from high school students to C-level executives, attain their professional goals. Her distinctive background offers a rare blend of expertise in Admissions and Executive Search, having worked for Stanford University and Russell Reynolds Associates in the San Francisco Bay Area. Nandita Gupta graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Anthropology and wrote her thesis on college readiness & accessibility.
Minyoung Lee, Google
Minyoung Lee joined Google after finishing her MBA from The University of Chicago's Booth School of Business in 2016. Prior to that, she was a chemical engineer in the oil and gas industry. She loves encouraging high school students to pursue STEM careers and volunteers as an admissions interviewer for Cornell University.
Lea Hirsch, Fifth-Year Graduate Student at UC Berkeley
Lea's thesis project focuses on comparing planets in binary star systems to those in single star systems. She uses the 3-meter Shane Telescope at Lick Observatory and the WIYN 3.5-meter telescope at Kitt Peak to obtain high-resolution images of bright sample stars, searching for high-contrast and close-in binary systems. Lea also uses the Keck-HIRES and the Lick Automated Planet Finder to search for planets around these stars. Her goal is to perform a direct comparison between the planet populations in single versus binary stellar systems and significantly advance the field of astronomy!
Blair Bazdarich, Outreach and Teen Program Manager at SF Zoo
Blair is in charge of school outreach and youth volunteer programs at the San Francisco Zoo. Her main focuses are the ZooMobile, bringing live animals to classrooms throughout the Bay Area, and the Talk on the Wild Side, Zoo Crew, and Zoo Teacher Assistant programs, helping students explore the fields of animal science and education. Blair believes that demystifying science is at the root of inspiring caring for nature and advancing conservation action, and she hopes to help equip the next generation with the tools to make a brighter tomorrow!