As a PR and corporate communications expert, Marivi spent her days helping companies identify what made them special, crafting key messages, and telling the stories most likely to persuade stakeholders and advance business goals. Her evenings and weekends, however, were spent using these same skills to guide families and students through the application process for colleges, independent schools, boarding schools, and summer programs. Over time it became clear that she found more joy and meaning in admissions work and Wise Admissions was born.

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The students she has worked with have been admitted to a wide range of institutions, from top US boarding schools and Bay Area independent schools, to world-renowned research universities and some of the country's best liberal arts colleges. 

 

Marivi is a graduate of Brown University and a founding member of the College Counseling Collective, a private network of independent educational consultants and college counselors who were part of the UC Berkeley certificate program in college counseling.

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Paul’s travel industry sales career was put on hold when he became the daytime caregiver to his two children. His success in pursuing opportunities for them caught the attention of the team at Financial Aid Navigator and he was recruited by the non-profit to help families with their financial aid applications and appeals.

 

At Wise Admissions, Paul also draws upon his travel industry experience to design and/or book custom itineraries for college and boarding school visits. A recent tour, for example, focused on mapping, counting, and trying out the best independent coffee places within walking distance of five different colleges in four states! (Proximity to great coffee was one of the student's dream criteria.)

 

Paul has a business degree from Trinity College, Dublin and a Master’s degree in History from San Francisco State University.

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