Tina
ADMISSIONS AND INTERVIEW STRATEGIST
When Tina isn’t busy turning college dreams into reality, she’s probably juggling seventeen different projects at Tufts University—and somehow making it look effortless. As the founder and manager of Tufts University’s Venture Accelerator, she’s in the business of transforming bright ideas into brilliant businesses. She also teaches Entrepreneurship at Tufts’ School of Engineering and runs the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Pre-College program, where she gets to witness those magical “lightbulb moments” on a daily basis.
Tina wears many hats at Tufts (metaphorically speaking—though we wouldn’t put it past her to literally own an impressive hat collection). She reads applications for the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Pre-College program, teams up with the Admissions Office for workshops, conducts college interviews, and reviews applications. Essentially, she’s seen every type of college essay imaginable, including the ones about overcoming adversity through competitive hot dog eating.
Her philosophy? College can be an incredible investment when you approach it strategically—not like buying a lottery ticket and hoping for the best. Tina specializes in helping students identify their unique strengths and accomplishments, then crafting a college admissions strategy that actually makes sense. Think of her as a GPS for the college journey, except she won’t randomly tell you to turn left into a lake.
In what she generously calls her “spare time” (insert laughter here), Tina loves traveling to places where the Wi-Fi hopefully works, reading non-fiction books that make her even more interesting at dinner parties, and writing. She’s also passionate about chocolate (who isn’t?), art, cars, and collecting new skills like some people collect vintage vinyl records. Her friends have learned to expect texts from random time zones and detailed reviews of international chocolate offerings.
Whether you’re looking to launch the next big startup or just trying to figure out which college won’t leave you eating ramen for the next decade, Tina brings the perfect mix of expertise, enthusiasm, and just enough wit to make the process actually enjoyable.
Amy
ESSAY STRATEGIST AND COACH
Amy has a gift for turning the dreaded college essay from a blank-page nightmare into a compelling story that admissions officers actually want to read. Her students don’t just get into college—they get into places like Harvard, University of Chicago, Brown, NYU, Carnegie Mellon, and Johns Hopkins. (Yes, she keeps a running tally, and yes, she does a little happy dance with each acceptance letter.)
With over 20 years of teaching experience under her belt, Amy knows a thing or two about helping people communicate effectively. She holds an undergraduate degree in English Literature (because someone has to appreciate the beauty of a perfectly crafted sentence), plus post-graduate credentials in Secondary Education and a Master’s in Human Resource Development. That last degree might sound fancy, but it’s basically the science of figuring out how people learn best—which turns out to be incredibly useful when you’re trying to help a 17-year-old articulate why they deserve a spot at their dream school.
Amy’s corporate background includes designing training programs for Fortune 500 companies in pharmaceuticals, HR, and technology. Essentially, she’s spent years teaching adults how to communicate complex ideas clearly, which makes helping teenagers write about their biggest challenges and dreams feel like a natural next step. Plus, she’s survived enough corporate meetings to know that clear, engaging communication can make or break any important presentation—including the one that gets you into college.
When she’s not helping students discover their unique voices, Amy can be found perfecting her sourdough starter (pandemic hobby that stuck), exploring bike trails, or enjoying a good glass of wine while watching the sunset from the beach with her family. She’s also a firm believer in lifelong learning, which means she’s probably reading about the latest trends in education while sipping that wine.
Amy approaches each student’s story with the understanding that there’s no one-size-fits-all formula for college admissions success. Instead, she helps students dig deep to find the authentic experiences and perspectives that make them stand out—not because they’re trying to impress anyone, but because they’re finally comfortable being themselves on paper.
Featured Admissions Strategy Team Members
Karen
Admissions Strategist
Karen has helped many students navigate the college search and write unique, successful applications. She provides comprehensive services from finding schools that are the best matches to choosing what school to attend after acceptances roll in. With this support, her students are free to enjoy an organized, exciting search.
Born and raised in and around New York City, Karen earned her BA in English from Barnard College, Columbia University. She went on to earn an MA and PhD in English literature at the University of Virginia. After completing her doctorate, she joined the University of Nevada, Las Vegas as a tenure-track assistant professor of English.
With her help, Karen’s students have been admitted to top colleges including Penn State, Rhodes College, Elon University, St. Edwards University, College of Charleston, University of North Carolina, Loyola University of Maryland, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Binghamton University, Temple University, Fairfield University, and University of Connecticut.
In her spare time, Karen enjoys gardening, visiting museums, cooking, podcasts, and time outside with her family.
CHAUNCEY
ESSAY Strategist
Chauncey teaches writing at University of Maryland and has worked with students for almost two decades. He uses his unique skill set to help students craft the most authentic college essays possible. He graduated from Morehouse College with a B.A. in English and German, received his Master’s degree in English from Georgetown University, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in African American Literature from the University of Maryland College Park.
As a former high school AP English Language teacher as well as a former adjunct professor for several top-notch universities (such as Georgetown University and New York University), Chauncey fully understands the writing skills colleges expect from their applicants. His expertise, collegiate connections, and commitment to educational equity makes Chauncey a valuable member of A Starting Line.
Aaron
Essay Coach & Copy Editor
Aaron has been a professional writer, editor, and content manager for more than 20 years, working with organizations including O’Reilly Media, American Student Assistance, the MIT Energy Initiative, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Elevance Health.
He graduated from Haverford College with a BA in Spanish and holds a Master’s degree in management with a certificate in nonprofit management from Harvard Extension School. Aside from his work, he serves on the steering committee for Somerville YIMBY, an organization that advocates for more housing in Somerville, MA and the broader Boston region.
Rachel
Essay COACH
Rachel brings more than a decade of passion, skill, and experience as a writing coach. Since 2009, she has guided high school students in mining their life experiences and expressing their strongest authentic selves on the written pages of their college admission essays.
Rachel is the Co-Director of the Fusion Undergraduate Scholars Program at the MIT Plasma Science Fusion Center, where she focuses on building the fusion workforce of the future.
A graduate of Bryn Mawr, Rachel also holds an MA in History and an MS in Library and Information Science, both from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.
Tina
ADMISSIONS AND Essay Coach
Tina specializes in creating high-end experiential entrepreneurship programs for teens and adults that build bridges between participants, our startup ecosystem, universities, and community leaders. She has taught marketing at UCLA, USC, MIT, and UC San Diego, and enjoys mentoring startups, working with NGOs, essay coaching, and teaching students in the US and internationally.
Tina is deeply committed to advancing our next generation’s innovative ideas through exceptional education.
Tina has helped students gain admission to UCLA, UC San Diego, UC Santa Cruz, UMass Amherst, UCLA Law, USC Gould School of Law, Georgetown Law, and Washington University School of Law. She has also read applications for admission to MIT.
Tina received a dual BA degree from Scripps College in Economics and German Literature and a PhD in International Marketing from the Paul Merage School of Business at UC Irvine. After graduating from Scripps, she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study Germanic Philology in Berlin.
In her spare time, Tina enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, as well as discovering wonderful new food and wine.
CONTACT US TODAY!
Let our team help your student excel academically and strategically boost their potential to get into the perfect school.