College Admissions Counseling

Helen Cespedes

SAT, ACT, SSAT, ISEE, SHSAT, AP French, Subject Tests

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 Vaynberg

SAT, ACT, Biology Subject Test, College Essays

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.

Michael Ritacco

Mathematics Specialist, SAT/ACT, Math Level I and II Subject Tests, AlgI, AlgII/Trig Regents.

Mike graduated with a B.A. from SUNY Purchase in Mathematics and Computer Science. He graduated from Lehman College with two master's degrees in Mathematics Education and School leadership. He also holds a post master's certificate in District Leadership focusing on curriculum design and progressive instruction from Manhattanville College. Mike taught high school mathematics for 10 years in the South Bronx and East Harlem. Changing the lives of New York's most struggling and underprivileged students, Mike truly found his passion and excelled at helping students close the gaps. After much success, Mike became a city-wide math coach and worked with teachers one-on-one to help improve instructional practices and make mathematics more relevant for students. Wanting to make a larger impact, Mike became the Director of Mathematics for a school district in NYC consisting of 24,000 students in over 50 schools. Currently Mike is the Supervisor of Math and Science for Port Chester Public Schools. His love for teaching and helping students continues to fuel his passion for education. Mike believes in making math meaningful and that all students can achieve greatness.

Caiden Leavitt

SAT/ACT Specialist, AP Language, AP Literature, Literature Subject Test, and College Essays

Caiden graduated from Cornell University with a B.A. in English Literature. Upon graduation, she worked at the prestigious Windward School which specializes in language based learning disabilities, where she was intensively trained in PAF (Preventing Academic Failure) and TBWS (Teaching Basic Writing Skills). Since then, she has worked for several years with students of all ability levels on standardized test prep. Many of her students have gone on to earn scores that were above their goal score and many have also scored in the 99th percentile. She also specializes in College Essays and has helped many of her students get into the college of their choice. She believes that test prep is a skill that can be learned and does not set any limits on what her students can achieve!

Robyn Steiner

History Specialist, U.S. & World History SAT Subject Tests, AP History

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.

Alyssa Dembek

Classroom ACT & SAT English Specialist

Alyssa Dembek holds a B.S. in Secondary Education: English and Communications from Pennsylvania State University and a M.S. in Literacy from Long Island University. She has been teaching English 11 and English 11 Honors at New Rochelle High School for nine years, and electives such as Creative Writing, World Literature, Shakespeare, and College Reading. In addition to regularly integrating SAT and ACT preparation into her curriculum, Alyssa equips students with the skills necessary to be successful on the NYS Common Core English Regents. She helps numerous students, who have a range of ability levels, with their college applications and conducts workshops for college essays. As the head coach of the girls Varsity volleyball team since 2011, Alyssa has enjoyed a great deal of success motivating students to reach their full academic and athletic potential.

Erin Ott

SAT/ACT Reading/Writing Specialist, PSAT, SHSAT, TACHS, ISEE

Erin Ott graduated with a M.A. in English Literature, and dual major B.A. in Creative Writing and Psychology, from Hofstra University. Erin teaches composition and literature at the collegiate level, and has worked with both university and community college students. She has been helping middle and high school students score higher on various standardized tests for the past decade. Erin’s passion is to help students build academic confidence and succeed in their college application process. She firmly believes that all students are different, and works diligently to help her students uncover which test-taking strategies apply best to each of them. As a former rowing coach, and captain of her college varsity rowing team, Erin is well-versed in the benefits of self-motivated hard work, and strives to help her students embrace this practice.

Jack Canfora

SAT & ACT English and Reading Specialist

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 O’Byrne

Mathematics Specialist, SAT & ACT, Math Level I & II Subject Tests, AlgII/Trig

Peter O’Byrne graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University and earned his B.A. in Mathematics and Economics. He received an M.A. in Secondary Education from National-Louis University. Peter has nine years of experience teaching high school math beginning in Chicago, IL at Bogan High School, and for the last seven at KIPP NYC College Prep High School in the Bronx. In addition to teaching math at KIPP, Peter also teaches AP Microeconomics and coaches football. He is a member of the Master Teacher Fellowship as part of Math For America.

Alexandra Trow

SAT & ACT Specialist, SHSAT, ISEE, AP exams,

Alexandra Trow is a double Yale graduate (B.A., M.F.A.) with 99th percentile SAT and ACT scores, who loves working with students to make standardized testing more fun, engaging, and rewarding. Originally from Colorado, Alex has helped hundreds of students achieve substantially higher scores on the SAT, ACT, and AP exams, among several other tests. Alex is passionate about listening to students and working with them to create customized learning plans that translate into ease and comfort in what can often be a stressful environment; Alex knows what it’s like to perform under pressure: when she is not helping students achieve their academic goals, she is a working actor in New York City.