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Free 30-min
Counseling Session

COUNSELING

FROM OUR HIGHLY EXPERIENCED COACHES

Selecting and applying to a college can be a confusing and daunting task. PA College Prep offers college admission consultation to help demystify the process.

PA College Prep

COUNSELING

PA College Prep’s counseling program provides students with the guidance and insight necessary to make the best decisions regarding the college selection and application process. This is achieved through a multi-faceted approach:

  • GPA Evaluation

  • Standardized Test Preparation and Analysis

  • Course Selection Analysis

  • Extracurricular Activity Strategizing

  • College Selection

  • College Application Essay Assistance 

  • Application Assistance 

  • Vocational Guidance   

  • Interview Practice and Strategizing   

  • Final College Selection

 

Become a great college applicant with our successful College Application Counseling. Contact us to make a FREE 30 minute counseling appointment today!

OUR TEAM

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Our Counselors

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Chris Bonneau

Director of Counseling

• B.S. in Communications from Boston University 

• Award-winning professional writer

Though accepted at an Ivy League university, Mr. Bonneau opted to study at Boston University - an institution that better served his academic interests in Communications and provided him with a near-full scholarship. Since moving to California in 1995, Chris has been a prolific, award-winning writer (of screenplays and educational texts) and an accomplished teacher and counselor.  He has taught at a number of highly regarded academies throughout the Los Angeles area and has even written an in-depth guide to the SAT Writing section.
 

Chris has helped more than 4,000 students with the college selection and application process. During this time frame, he has guided students through more than 10,000 college statements. Many of the students that Chris has counseled have gone on to Ivy League and other prestigious universities.

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Vanessa Green

College Counselor

Writing Coach

CA Teaching Credential in English

M.A. in English

 

Ms. Green brings more than 20 years of experience in K-12 education, serving as a college essay writing coach for more than 15 years and an English teacher for more than 10 years. Holding both a CA Teaching Credential and an MA in English, she is passionate about lifelong learning and growth. Her counseling and teaching approach is holistic; she supports her students socially, emotionally, and academically. Above all, she believes that every student has the ability - and the right - to learn. When planning and writing personal essays, Vanessa is encouraging, energetic, and meticulous, creating a safe space for students to explore and draft responses to application questions. Her goal is to ensure that students' college application essays clearly address the prompts, capture the students’ personalities and voices, and amplify students’ strengths. To date, Ms. Green has helped students get into prestigious schools like Yale, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, USC, NYU, UCLA, UCB UCSD, etc. 

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Laura Hwang

College Counselor

  • M.A., Social Psychology, San Francisco State University 

  • B.A., Psychology, University of California Irvine

 

Ms. Laura Hwang is a dedicated and compassionate counselor specializing in social, developmental, and behavioral psychology.  As a former IUSD PTA board member of various leadership roles and an IPSF liaison, she is an adept expert in the public school systems, particularly in Irvine and Tustin, with additional proficiency in the private schools of Southern California, who navigates students by bringing in rich local educational resources. In addition, she possesses expertise in navigating the educational paths of athletes.  Ms. Laura has led many students in securing admission to the UCs and the reputable private colleges.

 

With a capability for effective communications to motivate, Ms. Laura warmly guides and inspires her students in her counseling sessions. Specializing in cognitive-behavioral and solution-focused therapies, her dedication extends beyond academics, as she trains highly effective teenagers, fostering values of character building. Her holistic approach not only supports students' personal, academic, and social growth but also encourages resilience, empowering them to reach their full potential. Ms. Laura's consistent commitment has established her reputation as a trusted and effective counselor in the community.

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Ally Kaleshi

College Counselor

Writing Coach

  • B. A. the University of Southern California, Health and Human Sciences, minor in Occupational Science, Summa Cum Laude

  • U.S. Department of Education Presidential Scholars Nominee, George M. Pullman Foundation Scholarship Recipient

 

Ally Kaleshi is a distinguished college counselor and education consultant in Orange County, who is known for her thorough and dedicated expertise in successfully advising college applicants in their admission journeys to the most prestigious academic institutions in the United States including Stanford University, Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, Columbia University, The University of Chicago, Dartmouth College, the University of Pennsylvania University of California, Berkeley, and Duke University.  

 

Since 2017, Ally has guided students and families on every aspect of the college admissions process. Having been awarded over $500,000 in merit awards throughout her own college application cycle, she has since served as an evaluator and reader for prestigious merit scholarships. Ally leverages her depth of experience to guide high achieving students in their pursuit of academic scholarships.

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Jack Zhang

STEM College Counselor
Passion Project Coach

  • B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University, minor in global engineering studies

  • M.S. in Product Design from Carnegie Mellon University

  • Long term study broad at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany (ranked #3 for engineering in Germany)

  • E.I.T certified engineer

 

Jack Zhang is a passionate STEM counselor and passion project coach, who is known for his friendliness and professionalism working with students of all ages. Jack is a mechanical and product design engineer by trade who has over 15 years of STEM experience under his belt. He has vast industry experience across consumer electronics, aerospace, and automotive working with companies such as Apple, Boeing, and EV startups. 

 

During his undergrad, Jack was a key member of the solar car club at his university competing and winning at the national level. He is also familiar with other STEM student clubs such as Formula SAE, Formula Baja, EV Club, Rocketry Club, etc. Jack was also a former School of Mechanical Engineering Student Ambassador at Purdue University. He gave campus tours to admitted students and their parents in helping to make their final college decision.

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Rob Choi

Senior College Counselor

Writing Coach

  • B. A. in Political Science, University of California, Irvine

 

Over the past 20+ years, Rob has taken his experience in law, entertainment, literary work, and more to guide more than 1,500 students in crafting over 25,000 personal statements and supplements that genuinely express the best qualities of each applicant. He's sent studetns to all the Ivy Leagues and many more of the top universities. On the whole, the majority of his students have been accepted tp at lease one top 100 university under his guidance.

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Cammy Wang

Senior College Counselor

Writing Coach

  • B.A. in Communication from UCLA

  • M.Ed. from Harvard University

  • J.D. From Loyola Law School

 

Cammy is a holistic coach providing tutoring, test prep, and comprehensive college, career, and financial planning.
 

She applies the skills and knowledge she has acquired over 30 years in the field of education. Serving as a teacher, counselor, and administrator in K-12 schools and colleges, and currently as an educational consultant, she has helped her students and their families successfully navigate through the maze of the college planning process, gain acceptance to colleges of their choice, and prepare them in their transition from high school to college and college to graduate school or career.

 

She has applied her degrees to multiple professional industries including law, education, finance, government, hospitality, and entertainment. Since 2016, Cammy has created and delivered a series of financial literacy and college admissions seminars to schools (especially at her alma mater John F. Kennedy High School and the prestigious Oxford Academy), libraries, churches, community centers, and non-profit agencies. Cammy also has been featured as a guest speaker for numerous podcasts and virtual and in-person conferences, expos, and summits around the world. 

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Firdosi Wharton-Ali

Writing Coach

College Counselor

  • MFA, Screenwriting, UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television

  • ​BA, Political Science (Specialization in American Politics) UCLA

  • Certification in Screenwriting, Non-degree program, UCLA

  • TOEFL Certificate

Ms. Firdosi studied Political Science with a specialization in American Politics at UCLA. She switched gears when admitted to the prestigious UCLA School of Theater, Film, Television and Digital Media after
enrolling in the inaugural year of UCLA’s non degree Certification in Screenwriting Program. While still a graduate student, worked as a story consultant on Mohammed, The Last Prophet, the only animated movie about the history of religion in The Middle East with the producers of Disney’s The Fox And The Hound.


After graduating, Firdosi sold several scripts and worked for the producers of
Twilight (Mark Morgan) before landing a position of one of four executives at
Predawn Productions, a production company with the most successful
screenwriter in the history of the craft (per script sales) as its principal, Academy
Award winner Ron Bass (Rain Man, The Joy Luck Club). While working there,
Ron and Firdosi sold an original idea to Universal Pictures and, on her own, she
set up projects with numerous production companies including Lion’s Gate,
Wind Dancer Films, and Tom Lynch Productions.


On top of her writing and coaching career at PA Academy, Firdosi teaches
screenwriting in The Carrie Hamilton Entertainment Institute at Anaheim
University.

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Mimi Liu

Pre-Med College Counselor

  • Current Family Medicine resident physician

  • M.D. from University of South Florida, Morsani College of Medicine (USF MCOM)

  • B.S. in Cell and Developmental Biology from University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) 

 

Mimi interviewed at 7 medical schools and attended USF on a partial scholarship, where she interviewed pre-medical students for the admissions committee. She also volunteered at the student-run free clinic, founded the student organizations Medical Mandarin and Asian American Pacific Islander Mentorship (AAPIM), and published research, among other accomplishments. During her time at medical school, Mimi truly excelled and earned multiple scholarships, grants, and awards. Her efforts culminated in the 2023 Golden Bull Award, one of USF’s highest honors given to students who encompass the spirit and values of USF by exemplifying exceptional leadership and service.

 

Mimi is passionate about helping students navigate both the college and medical school admissions process, particularly because she struggled to find high-quality advising when she was a student. She has successfully mentored dozens of students throughout the years. Mimi enjoys guiding students throughout the application process, especially when it comes to developing a personal brand. She has advised many students who have been accepted to highly ranked colleges and multiple medical schools.  

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Andy Luong

STEM College Counselor

  • B.S. in Biochemistry at UCLA

  • M.S. In Biomedical science at UCSD

  • Four years of research experience in the Cardio Surgery Lab at UCLA

 

Mr. Luong started his counseling career with helping underclass students navigate their class choices and find research opportunities at UCLA, which further deepened his understanding of the academic landscape.


Since completing his studies, Mr. Luong has dedicated himself to helping students achieve their academic and professional goals by offering personalized guidance and support. Through his expertise and dedication, he has helped numerous students gain acceptance to prestigious institutions such as Brown, Stanford, Boston University, UCLA, UCSD, and UC Berkeley.

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"...When I took classes at PA College Prep, I felt that PA College Prep provided students with a very comfortable and challenging learning environment. The faculty not only helped us with the various subjects, but they also made themselves available to answer any of our questions about standardized tests and applying to college. As a student at PA College Prep, I always new that the faculty would be available to offer me guidance on academic issues ranging from chemistry review to paper revisions to college essay brainstorming."

- STEPHANIE LIN, 2012 RHODES SCHOLARSHIP WINNER, GRADUATED FROM MIT 2012

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