Sonia Lal, Founder

Personal Guidance from a Former Harvard Admissions Interviewer and Harvard Graduate

Ivy League Potential was founded by Sonia Lal, M. Ed., a former Harvard admissions interviewer. Sonia has worked in the field of college counseling, education, and human development since 1997. Her expertise on essay writing was featured in AdmitSee’s book 99 Successful Admission Essay Excerpts. Sonia served as a Grand Award Judge for the prestigious Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). Sonia has also served on the Illinois Math and Science Academy Admissions committee and is currently writing a book on leadership for teenagers. Sonia graduated from Harvard University cum laude with a B.A. in Social Anthropology, has a masters degree in education, and is a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

Joe, College Admissions Counselor

Joe has spent the last 20 years in guidance counseling and higher education. He was a senior member of the admissions team at the University of Westminster before joining The Alice Smith School in Malaysia, one of the top international schools in Southeast Asia, as Head of Higher Education and Careers. He is now an independent guidance counsellor working with students across the globe. Joe has visited and worked with universities all around the world and has an extensive knowledge of different institutions, systems and funding routes. Joe has a Master of Science in Global Politics and Economics and a real passion for advising young people and helping them take control of their futures, both at university and beyond.

Jeremy, Award-Winning Teacher

“Best Teacher in New York City” Award from the Princeton Review

Jeremy has tutored for over twenty-five years, working with such companies as The Princeton Review, Kaplan, The Scholar Group and Drew Brody Tutoring. At The Princeton Review, he helped develop and write teaching materials, and won the award for Best Teacher in New York City. At Kaplan, he created a course on public speaking and persuasive writing. He has helped students prepare for the SAT, ACT, ISEE, HSPT, GRE, GMAT, CHSPE, TOEFL, and humanities-based AP and SAT Subject Tests. With his background as a professional actor on television and stage, Jeremy utilizes the skills he's developed to communicate and connect more effectively with students. He graduated from Princeton University with a B.A. in English and The Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University.

Julie, Official Scorer for SAT/ACT

A unique tutoring opportunity: get help from someone with years of experience scoring official tests!

Our master tutor Julie is high in demand. She has worked for Pearson Educational Measurement, scoring for the SAT, ACT, and state writing exams. She has also been an examiner for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Organization since 2007, scoring HL Language A1 papers. Julie has taught English and Latin at high schools and universities for over twenty years, including Higher Level IB English, AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition, Latin 1 and 2, Composition, and College Reading. She has also worked at the university level as an instructional designer for many years.

Teddy, College Admissions Counselor

Teddy is a Harvard College graduate who earned his bachelor's degree in Government (along with a minor in Theater, Dance & Media). He’s served both as a tutor and mentor in numerous settings. He was previously a hometown recruiter for Harvard’s Financial Aid Initiative where he visited various high schools and held information sessions on the college admissions process. He was also part of the Harvard Summit for Young Leaders in China where he taught a leadership and American government seminar to over 40 high school students and led over 100 students in community building games and activities. Teddy has served as a student mentor for Excelorators, a Cambridge-based education company, and he is a certified Trained Mentor with the Mentor Collective. He has experience teaching English, public speaking, and acting and has helped numerous students with their college applications.

Coleen, College Admissions Counselor

Coleen has worked for over 10 years as a professional school counselor, teacher, and academic advisor. As a college counselor, she strongly believes that forming positive, trusting relationships will lead to student success. Coleen has a master’s degree in school counseling and received the Nancy K. & Steven W. Lynn School Counseling Scholarship, as well as an award from the American Counseling Association. She has a bachelors degree from Pomona College, ranked #12 by Forbes magazine. In her spare time she enjoys knitting, roller skating, and getting boba tea with a friend.

Wayne, College Admissions Counselor

In addition to serving as a college admissions counselor for high school students, Wayne teaches world history at a high school in the Chicago area and has been working with teenagers for many years. After three years at New Haven Public Schools, he taught English abroad twice: first, as a Fulbright Scholar in Strasbourg, France, and second, as a Yale-China Fellow in Changsha, China. Later, he worked at the Chicago Public Education Fund, a nonprofit aiming to combat educational inequity through serving Chicago’s school leaders. Wayne graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Education Studies, where he was a Division I diver for four years. He received his Masters in Secondary Education from Northwestern University, with endorsements in History, Social Studies, and French.

Mike Williams, Author of Getting Things Done for Teens
Steph Shyu, Founder of AdmitSee
Lisa Strasman, President of NCSA Athletic Recruiting
Carol Christen, Author of What Color is Your Parachute? for Teens
Michael Gelb, Author of How to Think Like Leonardo DaVinci