Whitney is Admit NY’s founder, and is also one of New York’s leading middle and high school admissions consultants.

Whitney graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned a B.A. in Urban Studies with a concentration in Urban Education. She received her Master’s in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education and is a Professional Member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) as well as the Small Boarding School Association (SBSA). She also has past experience as a formal classroom teacher, curriculum developer, middle school program director and high school placement director at a non-profit in New York.

As the CEO of Admit NY, Whitney uses her expertise to facilitate the school admissions process, ensuring that each child gains admission to their best fit private or public schools. Whitney offers her clients deep insight into the school landscape and the admissions cycle itself, and with this competitive advantage, her students have experienced success with acceptances to their best fit schools.

Whitney started her career in education by working as a part-time public school teacher in West Philadelphia while also overseeing an academic program that provided small group and individualized reading and literacy instruction for low-performing elementary school students. In 2011, she developed and taught the curriculum for the 8th-grade summer writing course at Breakthrough New York, a college-access non-profit based in New York City. She subsequently taught English at an under-served high school in Cape Town, South Africa and volunteered as an elementary school teacher at an orphanage in Khayelitsha, considered one of the largest and fastest growing townships in South Africa. In 2012, Whitney joined Teach for America as a 4th grade classroom teacher and a 4th grade writing curriculum developer at Achievement First in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Following these experiences, Whitney returned to Breakthrough New York, where she first became the Middle School Program Director, and then the High School Placement Director. She managed program curriculum development, teacher training development and execution, student data analysis, student recruitment and admissions, seasonal staff recruitment and hiring, and high school placement. In this capacity, she was responsible for planning, leading and overseeing high school placement for 65 + students and she increased independent school acceptances by 54%, ensuring that 100% of 8th grade students matriculated to college-prep high schools across the country. Whitney served as the primary contact for over 100 independent day and boarding schools, deepening those relationships while learning the ins-and-outs of each school’s community, academic program, and unique admissions policies.

Taryn grew up in New York City, where she attended elite public schools—The Lab School and LaGuardia High School of Music & Arts and Performing Arts. She received a B.A. in Psychology and Political Science from Tulane University and went on to receive an M.P.P. from Georgetown University, concentrating on Maternal and Child Healthcare, and the effects of education on health outcomes.

Taryn spent 13 years at the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education at City College of New York. She was responsible for advancing the twofold mission of the school– to expand access to medical careers among underrepresented minorities, and to encourage the pursuit of primary care specialties among graduates. She was also responsible for interviewing prospective students. After having two children of her own, Taryn became an active lead tour guide for the Ethical Culture Fieldston School. She also became an expert on the process of evaluating a school’s methodology, academic rigor and ethos, after going through the process with her own children.

Having realized her passion and vocation were in schools and admissions, Taryn joined Avenues: The World School as the Admissions Data Manager. She was responsible for processing over 1,200 applications and establishing relationships with feeder schools. She ensured each family had an enjoyable and positive experience as they navigated the stressful journey of identifying a school that is the right match for their child. Taryn joins Admit NY with a keen eye and perspective of someone who has been through this process and survived! She believes families benefit from the small team approach we offer and the valuable knowledge we have accumulated over the past 15 years.

Emily grew up in Philadelphia, where she attended a local private Friends school before matriculating to Choate Rosemary Hall. She received a B.A. in psychology from Boston University and then moved to London, where she taught nursery and pre-kindergarten in a prestigious independent school. During her 11 years in London, Emily continued to pursue her passion for education and received her M.S. in Child Development and PhD in Psychology from University College London.

Emily moved to New York in 2012 upon finishing her postdoctoral research at Imperial College London. Shortly after moving to NYC she co-founded MyOptions (formerly Admittedly), an online college admissions tool which has since been acquired by test-prep giant ACT. One of the main tenets of the company is that students should prioritize cultural and emotional fit when looking at colleges as much as academic fit. During her time at Admittedly, Emily developed an algorithm to match students with colleges that are the right fit for them based on their personality traits and interests. Hundreds of thousands of students worldwide have used this tool in their college admissions journeys.

When it was time for Emily to move onto her next endeavor, she was eager to combine her interest in admissions with her love for early childhood education. She joined the admissions team at The Browning School and conducted kindergarten evaluations and interviews. In addition to working with applicants on-site, Emily also visited with preschool directors and spent time in preschool classrooms across Manhattan.

After her children were born in 2016, Emily began consulting for JCC Brooklyn as their Child Development Specialist. She works with teachers and families to ensure children are on track to reach their developmental milestones. As a Brooklyn resident and a parent, Emily also counsels local families through the exmissions process from preschool to pre-kindergarten to kindergarten.

Emily is thrilled to join the Admit NY team and shares the same mission of using a holistic approach when helping families identify their child’s best-fit schools. She enjoys working with families at any stage of the admissions process and tailoring her services to each family’s specific needs.

Stacy grew up in New York City, where she attended The Dalton School on the Upper East Side. She then attended Syracuse University, where she received a B.S. in Communications and Rhetorical Studies and graduated Summa Cum Laude. After spending time in advertising sales, Stacy realized her desire to work with children and went on to receive a dual Master’s in Early Childhood General and Special Education at Bank Street College of Education.

While completing her master’s, Stacy worked at the Montclare Children’s School on the Upper West Side, and she has since spent almost a decade teaching Pre-K at Temple Emanu-El Nursery School. As a teacher by training, Stacy has a thorough understanding of cognitive and social-emotional development at the early childhood level and a true appreciation for what best encourages children to learn and grow. Throughout her years of teaching, she honed her skills for supporting families while they navigate the often stressful kindergarten admissions process, and she is keenly aware of how this affects both parents and children. Stacy also participated in admissions playgroups at both of the nursery schools she taught at, thus giving her a unique understanding of the full early childhood matriculation cycle, from nursery admissions through kindergarten exmissions.

Stacy believes that finding the right fit at the early childhood level leads to a love of learning in the future, and she is excited about helping Admit NY’s families build that important foundation. She is eager and excited to share her knowledge about New York City schools from her personal and professional experiences.

Kate grew up outside of Boston, Massachusetts, where she attended the Noble and Greenough School. Her experience at Nobles inspired her to pursue a 20+ year career in independent school education which has taken her from New York City to South India and home to the Boston Area. 

Kate studied history and French at Barnard College. Kate also played lacrosse for Columbia and captained the team her senior year. She has taught internationally, helping to develop the curriculum at the Kings English School in Tamil Nadu, India, where she served on the Board of Trustees for ten years. 

After college, Kate began working as an elementary school associate teacher and lacrosse coach at The Brearley School as well as The School at Columbia. While teaching, Kate attended graduate school at Teachers College, where she received an M.A. in international education development with a focus on curriculum and teaching. Kate spent five years as the lead fourth grade teacher at LREI where she developed curriculum, mentored associate teachers, and worked closely with the admissions office.

In 2012, Kate joined the founding faculty of Avenues: The World School where her team planned the curriculum and established the culture for the Nursery-12th Grade West Chelsea campus. After two years in the classroom, Kate was chosen as the Associate Director of Admissions for the Upper Division (Grades 5-12) at Avenues where she stayed for three years. Each year, Kate worked with over 400 families, guiding them through a customized admissions process. Her goal with each family was for them to have a positive and informative application experience. Kate redesigned the admissions process for incoming 5th and 6th graders to include a “Design Challenge” which replaced a formal interview so students could show their skills in a classroom-type setting. This model has now been extended to all upper division applicants. 

When her first son was born in 2017, Kate and her husband moved back to Boston and she returned to her alma mater, Nobles, a top ranking day and boarding school, where she worked as the Director of Graduate Affairs in the Development Office for seven years. At Nobles, Kate supported the admission office by interviewing applicants during the admissions season and coaching girls varsity soccer.

Throughout her career, Kate has worked as a private tutor for all ages. Specifically, she has experience helping older students tell their story to admissions committees through essays and interviews, and supporting parents while navigating the process, from school lists, to selecting the best educational environment for their child. Her background as a teacher and her years in admissions provides her unique insight into how students learn and the settings in which they will thrive. She keeps up to date with independent schools around the country through alumni and admissions work and has a passion for helping families find the right fit for their children. 

Kate has a strong ability to forge and maintain relationships with students and families and uses her expertise in school admissions to guide Admit NY families to their best fit schools. In the words of one of Kate’s clients: “And all we can say is THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. You made a stressful process manageable and helped us reach such a great outcome – real choice among strong options that make sense for our kid.”

Rachel grew up in Connecticut, where she attended Choate Rosemary Hall as a day student. She received a B.A. in Psychology from Hamilton College, and then moved west to San Francisco, where her career as an educator began. After two years of teaching Pre-K, she returned to the east coast, and earned an M.A. in Childhood Education from NYU Steinhardt School of Education, where she graduated with honors.

Rachel taught at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School on the Upper West Side for three years, followed by nine years at The Browning School, on the Upper East Side. While teaching at Browning, Rachel took on various additional roles, such as assisting the admissions department by observing and evaluating prospective students. She was also the Associate Teacher Advisor, who hired and then mentored new teachers. At both schools, Rachel enjoyed the relationships that she developed with her students, as well their parents, and the opportunity to advise the latter on the best path forward for their child.

After becoming a parent, Rachel left Browning, and started her own private tutoring company, where she created in-person and online individualized instruction for students. She also guided families through the independent school application process, editing essays, and preparing them for admissions interviews. Rachel is eager to integrate her skills with Admit NY, and optimize the educational opportunities for her Admit NY families.

Soeurette grew up in the New York City area and attended both top independent and public schools. She received a B.A. in History from St. Lawrence University and went on to receive an M.A. in History & Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, concentrating on the history of education in New York City. 

Soeurette began her career in admissions at Trinity School. She was responsible for interviewing prospective upper school students and families while working as a first grade teaching assistant. Since then, Soeurette has taught and worked in upper and lower school admissions at multiple top independent schools in Manhattan. Most recently, she was responsible for coordinating and overseeing early childhood, lower, and upper division admissions at St. Hilda's & St. Hugh's. In this role, Soeurette evaluated hundreds of applications and helped make admissions decisions across grade levels based on several criteria including academic readiness and community fit. Because she has been in the room where difficult admissions decisions are made, Soeurette understands what differentiates one applicant from another.

As an Admit NY School Admissions Expert, Soeurette combines her knowledge of admissions and the New York private school landscape with her steadfast commitment to holistically understanding a student’s needs and assisting families in finding the perfect fit school.

Natalie Crandall has 17 years experience as a teacher, coach, and education leader in public, charter, and private school settings.  She earned a B.A. in English and Communications from Tulane University, and joined Teach for America in 2006 as a high school English teacher.  

After teaching for three years, she was hired as the fourth employee at Breakthrough New York, a college access program for highly motivated, underserved students.  At Breakthrough, she led the founding Manhattan site, run out of The Town School, and expanded the program to two new sites in Brooklyn and the Bronx, as well as developed the college success model to support students up until graduation and career transition.  She led the design of Breakthrough's high school admissions process for students considering options across private day and boarding schools, as well as parochial schools and selective and specialized public high schools.  She became an expert in navigating the often complex and opaque NYC high school process, as well as supporting the relationship between a student and their parents throughout the journey.  Under her team leadership, Breakthrough's program expanded to serve more than 500 students.  Each year, 100% of Breakthrough New York 8th grade students matriculated to college-preparatory high schools, and over 90% were on track to earn college degrees within 6 years of matriculation.  

Natalie also worked for KIPP New Jersey on the Teaching & Learning TEAM, leading High School English curriculum design and coaching assistant principals across three high schools in service of more than 2,000 students.  She deeply understands the demands of a high school curriculum, and believes in guiding each student to find the most supportive school match for their own path to college and career readiness.  

She believes in Admit NY’s unique approach to student-first admissions and enjoys coaching young people in finding the best school match for their future goals!  

Katie Miller has been advocating for parents and children in public school education for the last 13 years, starting when her now 12th grader began kindergarten at P.S. 87 on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Katie is an expert on navigating the complex New York City public school admissions process and works closely with families to ensure they feel confident, informed and supported. Katie also works extensively with students on essays, personal statements, and supporting documents for public school. Katie has  served in a number of volunteer positions at her children’s public schools, including 2 years as the Co-President of P.S. 87’s Parents Association, 2 years as the Co-President of the PTA at M.S. 54 (Booker T. Washington Middle School), and 2 years as an elected parent member of the School Leadership Team (SLT) at Beacon High School. She is currently serving as the Vice President of Middle School on the WESS Parents Association Board and is the co-Director of West Side Soccer League’s High School Travel Program. Katie also acts as a consultant to a variety of youth arts organizations and sits on the advisory board for Her Story Mentorship, a female-led mentorship program with an emphasis on digital wellness and entrepreneurship.  Before her career as an education and small business consultant, Katie was the Director of Civil Justice at Common Good, and a Litigation Associate at Cleary Gottlieb. Katie graduated from Amherst College and received a joint J.D./ M.A. from Cornell Law School and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Katie is excited to support Admit NY families through the public school admissions process and help them make informed decisions about their public school options.