College Admissions Counseling

Kathryn graduated from Georgetown University Law Center; she returned to New York to practice criminal law as a prosecutor in the Bronx District Attorney's Office. In addition to trial practice, Kathryn wrote and argued criminal appeals. Previously, she attended Fordham University on a full academic scholarship, graduating magna cum laude. She is fluent in French, having majored in French Language and Literature; she was fortunate to spend her junior year living in Paris and studying at the Sorbonne. Kathryn enjoys working with students of all ages: since 2005, she has tutored hundreds of students, building their confidence and their competence for various standardized tests. Kathryn is also a working actor who recently attended the Cannes International Film Festival for one of her short films. She is the proud mother of two sons, three cats and one very spoiled Golden Retriever.

Jordan Eidlisz graduated summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA from the Macaulay Honors College at CSI with majors in biochemistry, general chemistry, and molecular, cellular, and developmental biology, along with a minor in political science. He has been tutoring various STEM subjects and standardized exams for over 7 years and has taught regents living environment and chemistry courses in Long Island schools. Jordan scored in the 99th percentile on both the ACT and MCAT exams, and enjoys making custom study plans that include coming up with individualized approaches tailored specifically for each unique student to make the experience as enjoyable and rewarding as possible. When not in the classroom Jordan enjoys hiking, reading, running, scientific research, and investing.

Kate Dowling is a passionate and experienced high school teacher, tutor, and seasoned writing coach. Over the last 20 years, she has equipped students with the skills, techniques and strategies to achieve success in school, on standardized tests, and in life beyond the classroom. Kate holds a B.A., cum laude, from Colgate University in both History and Education, and was the captain of the Colgate University Rowing team. Shortly thereafter, she received her M.A.T. from Teachers College, Columbia University. Kate has been teaching at Rye High School since 2003, where she has taught various social studies classes, including AP World History and AP US History. She is also a writing coach who has helped many students throughout all aspects of the essay writing process. Kate's passion for sports has led her to coach basketball, soccer, and volleyball at the high school and middle school levels. The lessons from athletics - specifically the importance of determination, and the belief in oneself - have guided Kate throughout many walks of life. She takes pride in creating a learning environment that minimizes anxiety and maximizes opportunities for students to achieve success. Because many students view standardized tests as roadblocks on the path to success, Kate makes an effort to reframe that view, and help her students stay loose, stay calm, and approach exams with confidence.

Ethan Butler attended Cardinal Spellman High School where he was the Salutatorian of a graduating class of 250 students and the President of the National Honors Society. In addition, he was the Captain of the Varsity lacrosse team and co-captain of the Varsity football team. Ethan scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and graduated as an AP Scholar with Distinction which helped earn him a full academic scholarship to NYU. He has tutored students in mathematics, economics, and physics, individually and in a small group setting, with a high level of success. Ethan has worked with students of various levels of abilities and enjoys helping his students build their confidence and reach their maximum potential.

Laura Nicolae graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, where she earned a B.A. with Highest Honors in Applied Mathematics and Economics and won several awards for her senior thesis. She is currently a Ph.D. student in Economics at Harvard University and Harvard Business School, and she previously worked as an economist on Wall Street. In high school, she scored in the 99^th percentile on the ACT and SAT composites and scored a 5 on 14 AP exams, including Calculus AB and BC, Statistics, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, and Spanish.

Andrea Coady graduated with honors from Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. where she received a B.S. in Mathematics and a M.S. in Mathematics Education. She holds New York State teaching certifications in Secondary Mathematics, Mathematics for Students with Disabilities, Generalist for Students with Disabilities, and Teaching English to Students of Other Languages. She has seven years of experience teaching high school mathematics and special education in New York City and Westchester County. In addition to teaching a variety of regents level mathematics courses, Andrea has experience working individually and with small groups of students to increase their mathematics scores on the ACT and SAT for the past eight years. She has helped students of various levels of ability to improve their study skills, learn test taking strategies, and equip them with the confidence needed to achieve success on standardized exams.

Daniel Riseman is a New York State certified teacher (grades 7-12) in Math, English Language Arts, Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Physics, and Social Studies and has an Advanced Certificate in Special Education. For the past 20 years, Daniel has been customizing lessons to prepare students for the SAT, ACT, SAT Subject Tests, ISEE, SSAT, and TACHS. As a member of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling, Daniel assists students with every step of the college admissions process. He has helped students get admitted into MIT, Harvard, Princeton, University of Chicago, Dartmouth, and University of Pennsylvania, among many others. He also helps college students with the transfer process and graduate school admissions. Daniel has served as a featured education writer and contributor for Psychology Today, The Fiscal Times, Yahoo Finance, Fox News, The Week, Education News, MSN Money, Institute of Sport, STEM Education Digest, The Awakened Wire, Special Needs Digest, Entertainment News, and LifeZette. He has also served as an on-air educational expert for EWTN.

Helen is an experienced private tutor who grew up in Boston in an academic household. After graduating from Barnard College magna cum laude with a BA in Comparative Literature, Helen went on to receive her MFA in acting from the Juilliard School. She is currently a teacher, working actor, and writer. For more than 6 years, Helen has enjoyed guiding her students from New York’s top high schools and middle schools to build the skills they need to achieve their goals in the classroom and on college readiness assessments. She teaches all sections of the SAT and ACT, as well as the SSAT, ISEE, SHSAT, AP French and several SAT subject tests. Helen curates her practice material and curricula to fit the needs of the individual student, and she helps her students cultivate critical thinking skills that will serve them beyond the exam and through their college careers.

Liba graduated with distinction from Yale with degrees in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and International Studies. She then received her master's from Columbia University. She has taught at Xavier University, and has years of experience working with students in various private and public schools and universities in New York. She is a passionate tutor, who is devoted to building confidence in her students in and outside the classroom.

Robyn Steiner holds a B.A. in English and Political Science from SUNY Buffalo where she graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Robyn received her J.D. from Cornell Law School, cum laude, and finished her post-Masters Certification in Education from Manhattanville College. After teaching numerous history courses in various Westchester high schools with success, she became a proud founding staff member of Bronx Community High School in the South Bronx for students who read and write below grade level. She currently teaches Global and U.S. History and provides individual tutoring to students in preparation for the New York State Regents Exams in U.S. and Global History.

Jack Canfora, SAT & ACT English and Reading Specialist, is an award-winning playwright, writer and educator, whose background includes a Summa Cum Laude degree from Hofstra University. Jack has 18 years of experience teaching AP Literature to high school students in both urban and suburban environments. Having scored in the 99th percentile on the Verbal section of the SAT, Jack has been an SAT and ACT tutor for 28 years, achieving great results for all levels of students. He is a passionate believer in working together with students to discover the best ways they learn individually. Among his recent non-academic accomplishments are two successful Off
Broadway productions of his plays, the publication of his plays Jericho and Poetic License, and the 2016 Webby Award for Best Writing for his web series The Small Time. Most recently, his play Fellow Travelers opened at the Bay Street Theater in 2018 to rave reviews and is slated to go to Broadway in 2019.

Peter graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University where he earned a B.A. in mathematics and economics. Shortly thereafter, he received an M.A. in Secondary Education from National-Louis University. Peter began his career in education at Bogan High School, in Chicago IL, and then spent nine years teaching at KIPP NYC College Prep in the Bronx, NY, where he also coached their varsity football team. Peter has worked with Zoffness College Prep since 2015 and helped countless students significantly increase their SAT and ACT scores through proven motivational and academic techniques. He is New York State certified in both social studies and math, and currently teaches economics at Mamaroneck High School while coaching the MHS varsity football team.

The founder of Zoffness College Prep. He holds a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received his M.B.A. from Fordham University. Ben began tutoring students 15 years ago after mastering the SAT and ACT strategies required to score in the 99th percentile. Since then, he has helped thousands of students maximize their academic performance with confidence. After developing his own unique software to help students identify various areas of weaknesses, Ben has been able to save valuable time for his students, while reducing the cost for his clients. His company provides classroom and individualized instruction to the community, with a focus on innovative solutions to allow students to grow personally and professionally. Ben works with students in the classroom and on an individual basis to prepare for the SAT, ACT, Mathematics Subject Tests, and a variety of additional standardized tests. His motivation is continuously fueled by celebratory phone calls and emails from his clients sharing that they gained acceptance into their top collegiate choices, which is often paired with merit-based scholarships. Visit the testimonials page to read more about the impact that Mr. Z and his team have had on students from Westchester, N.Y.