Today we’d like to introduce you to Sasha Chada
Hi Sasha, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I began working with students on their college applications in 2015. When I got started it was just me; I knew what colleges wanted from my own time as a student working with Johns Hopkins’ admissions, and was eager to share that information. The more I learned from the high school students I worked with, the more I refined my approach, and the curriculum we now use at Ivy Scholars was forged from those early lessons.
As time went on, the company grew naturally. I hired people like me to help it expand. I always looked for curious and passionate people, who really understood what students needed, and who were able to meet them where they were. Now we have more than fifteen employees, and work with over a hundred students at a time.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My struggles have often been on the business end of things; it turns out starting your own business from scratch is harder than they make it look on TV. I learned as I went, and even if it took a lot of juggling at times, I made sure to give each student the attention they needed, even if we were doing a lot of running around on the back end.
As part of this, I had to learn to build and run systems to manage a multi person organization. Managing things is easy if you’re working alone, but it’s a completely different skill set to be in charge of a team. I learned as I went, and I’m quite proud of my employees today, and how far I’ve come in learning to lead my company.
As you know, we’re big fans of Ivy Scholars. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Ivy Scholars is an educational consulting company. Specifically, we’re like guidance counselors. We work one on one with students to help them find their passions and explore them, to choose the courses and schools that would serve them best, and to help them apply to the colleges that will set them up for future success. We work with students at all stages of their educational journey, from those just starting to think about high school to those in the thick of college application season. Whoever we work with, we always show them the same care, and ensure they end up at a school that’s going to support them in all the ways they need.
What matters most to you?
Outside of my dogs, what matters most to me is my duty of care. When you work with young people, especially in education, you assume a duty towards them, and I care about each of the students we work with. I want to see them succeed, and I use every tool I can to help them. Admissions season is always exciting and challenging for this reason, because you get so invested in the success of your students, and each acceptance and rejection is an emotional rollercoaster.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ivyscholars.com/
