Today we’d like to introduce you to Sasha Chada.
Hi Sasha, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I began working with students in college, helping them study for the SAT and ACT. At the time, I also had a position working with the admissions office at Johns Hopkins, and gained some unique insights into how admissions works, and how stressful it can be for students. With that in mind, I started working in admissions counseling out of undergrad.
I began working for a larger firm, but I found their process counter-productive. A lot of what we did was standardized, working to maximize hours without adapting our approach or materials to the needs of individual students or families. I loved the students I worked with, but felt I wasn’t able to do enough to actually help them achieve their goals, too constrained by the system I was in.
To combat this, I started Ivy Scholars in 2015. I combined my own admissions experience with my knowledge of psychology to create a program meant to meet students where they were, and help them master every aspect of the admissions process. It was a lot of work, but as the successes came rolling in, and I saw the joy on the faces of students I worked with, it was all worth it.
I grew the company over time, hiring on new mentors who were able to follow the same ethos I had, seeking to put the students first and advise them in finding their path through college admissions. Ten years on, and Ivy Scholars is going strong. We’ve helped over a thousand students now, from all over the country and around the world get into some of the best universities on the planet. It’s always a challenge, but that’s what keeps it fun and exciting.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It hasn’t always been easy; anyone who tells you that starting your own business is is likely not telling you everything. Working with students, helping them, that has always been the easy part, the fun part. While I was doing that though, I also had to teach myself to be a CEO, and how a business can operate and grow.
Some of these challenges were expected, like finding and training new employees in my methodology for admissions counseling. Others were more interesting, like getting a website set up, or figuring out how to market my fledgling company.
There are always setbacks, everything from predatory vendors, to hackers targeting my new website, to the occasional disgruntled parent. There’s a lot of information and advice out there though, and if you sift through it, you can find a lot of real wisdom. I did have a lot to learn, but it’s been a wonderful adventure doing so.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Ivy Scholars?
Ivy Scholars helps students with every aspect of the college admissions process. This begins whenever students start working with us; from eighth graders looking to get into the right high school to support their needs, to sophomores looking for the perfect internship or summer opportunity, to juniors building their college list and seniors crafting essays to help them stand out in a crowded field of applicants.
The program is bespoke, offering a range of a la carte service so we can tailor each to the needs of a particular student. One student may be pursuing a research project with the aim of publication, another may be cramming for the SAT, and a third may want to rapidly revise their essays after not getting in in the early admissions round. Ivy Scholars seeks to help all of these students and more, giving them the needed insight to navigate the admissions process.
We are proud of our track record, and in helping students find the right colleges for them and their needs. Many students come to us not knowing where they want to apply at all, and we help them find schools they’ve never heard of before that nonetheless serve as the perfect places for them to succeed, setting them on the path towards future greatness. Every time a student gets an acceptance form a college and lets us know with a smile on their face, we have a good day.
What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most to me is helping students succeed in a system that isn’t designed to help them. I care deeply about the well-being of the students I work with, and seeing them overcome the challenges and obstacles in their way is an amazing thing.
Education is truly important, for both the students individually and for us collectively. These are the future doctors and lawyers, politicians and entrepreneurs. Helping them get the kind of education they need, the sort that will best support their dreams and aspirations, is a wonderful thing, and I’m so very glad to be a part of it. The educational system in our country is often overburdened and underfunded, and being able to provide support to these students they are unable to find elsewhere is key to what I do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ivyscholars.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivyscholars/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IvyScholarsHouston/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/ivy-scholars-houston-2
