the essay coaches

the essay coaches

We help you find your story so you can find your college.

**about us**

**Adrienne Wichard-Edds** is a writer and editor specializing in education and parenting. Her work regularly appears in *The Washington Post*, *The Hollywood Reporter*, *Billboard*, *Arlington Magazine, Washingtonian* and *Your Teen Magazine*. Her experience working with teens—as a college advisor, standardized test prep instructor and creative writing teacher—spans more than 25 years. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia.
**Ami Foster** is an award-winning creative writer who has more than two decades of experience working with college-bound kids. A former director of Ivy West Educational Services (now Compass Education Group), Ami helped develop and implement standardized test prep materials used by thousands of students. Ami is a veteran advocate for equity and inclusion in education. She is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley.
Each year, **Ami** and Adrienne donate their time to work with dozens of students from lower-income families who seek their coaching and editorial guidance. They’ve developed workshops to help both individual students and entire cohorts of high school seniors and their mentors.
**Ami** and **Adrienne** are committed to helping all students secure scholarships and connect with the support they need to succeed in college and beyond.

**philosophy**

**Our essay writing workshops and individual coaching methods enable students to find their voices and take control of the college application process.**
Colleges want to learn more about students than just what their transcript and test scores reflect. That’s where the personal statement and supplemental essays come in. These essays are opportunities for kids to show colleges who they are, how they got there and where they’re headed. The process should be as revealing to the writer as the final product is to an admissions officer.
We help take the stress and uncertainty out of the essay writing process and **empower students to confidently put their best story forward.**

**how we work (and why it works)**

**We start by listening.** So many kids arrive at the college application process having little experience telling their most significant personal stories in writing—a task that can seem both daunting and overwhelming. To help students identify their story, gain confidence and find their voice, we begin with an in-depth brainstorming session that explores their ideas, experiences and goals for college and for life. We don’t shy away from asking the deeper questions that can lead to meaningful insights and transformative essays.
We meet each student at their level to develop a reasonable timeline and an efficient strategy for approaching the personal statement and supplemental essays. This work can occur both in-person and remotely, allowing us the flexibility to work not only with varying schedules but also with a range of learning styles and skill levels. **As a result, students become better writers and communicators**—skills that will serve them far beyond the college application process.
And as with all the best coaches, we guide and encourage students from the sidelines but never get on the field to play for them. In other words, **students’ essays are always in their own words and authentic voices.**

why people love us

"You have a real talent for getting kids excited about telling their story and drawing it out of them.”
"Thank you for all you did to help [my son] over the past several months. You have a way of getting to the core of these kids and it’s a beautiful thing to see. His essays so captured his heart and true self. I am so proud of the work he did and can’t thank you enough for your part in it. He absolutely put his best self forward."
"Thank you for helping [my son] through his college application process. You went above and beyond, not only with his essays but also you really helped him get the whole application process organized and helped us keep him on track. In the end, [he] is really proud of the essays that he wrote, and you gave him confidence in his writing."
"You are more than an essay coach to my children. They don’t look at you as another “mom.” I can’t quite label it—a therapist, a friend, a confidant. [My daughter] will invite you to her wedding."
"Thank you for all of your help with my writing. Your support is greatly appreciated and you have made my college application process much less stressful. I loved working with you and I think what you're doing is amazing!"
“You did an amazing job understanding not only what I was trying to convey in my essay, but who I was as a person. You were able to extrapolate things from what I wrote that even I didn’t consider, and your suggestions were never intrusive.”
“[My daughter] loved working with you. There's a lot of value in what you're doing beyond the task of writing essays. We all need help seeing ourselves as the world sees us, not as how we (with our insecurities) see ourselves, and then finding an authentic way to tell that story. It's pretty powerful to have a supportive, empathetic person who can help you realize all the good things you have to offer. It’s a lot like therapy.”
“You really helped me home in on and expand the most important and impactful parts of my essay while leaving out the parts that didn't add to the impression I wanted to give.”
“My son has learned more from you about the writing process than from any of his classwork.”
“You helped me to love my essay again and gave me great suggestions on how to incorporate and connect my ideas in a better way. I think talking it through with you was a great way to speak through my thoughts. Thank you for your help and reassurance to stick to a story that is true to me and my growth.”
“I use your tips all the time. You’ve made me a better writer in school, too.”
“It is often difficult to get your teenager to focus on their applications and essays, and support from (and accountability to) a third party that they trust is invaluable.”
"I just wanted you to know that I really appreciate you and everything you've done for me. You've changed my life and I couldn't have done any of this without you. Thank you for making me feel so safe and secure."