EAS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Northern California Director
Ken Gonsalves is our Northern California Director of Educational Attainment Services. He is a University of California at Berkeley alumni. He is the former Senior Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of California at Berkeley. Ken's twenty plus years of experience includes recruitment and outreach and he has eighteen years of experience at UC Berkeley reviewing applications for both freshmen and transfer applicants.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Mark Lewis has always found ways to assist students with their professional and academic paths. His experience started in the counseling office at El Camino Community College where he was offered a part-time position while in school. When he transferred to the University of California at Berkeley, he continued assisting students as a CalSo Counselor and outreach coordinator in the re-entry department. To further his admissions knowledge, Lewis was selected to join the Admissions, Enrollment, and Preparatory Education Committee setting local policy following Proposition 209. In that capacity they hired staff, reviewed admissions applications, implemented the 4% plan and "normed" the work of admissions specialists to ensure continuity. Lewis, as a Ronald E. McNair Scholar, studied under Pulitzer Prize winning author Leon Litwack. Lewis was also selected as a Public Policy and International Affairs Fellow, which funded his Master's Degree at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.
At Harvard, Lewis served on the Admissions Committee for the Kennedy School of Government graduate programs. Lewis also served on the inaugural College Opportunity and Career Helps (COACH) program assisting students at a local vocational school with their latent college aspirations. In that capacity, students not considered college bound were mentored through the college selection, college application, and financial aid process. Lewis utilized these skills in volunteering with the Ten Point Coalition tutoring at-risk youth and encouraging them to consider college as an option to change their life.
Mark Lewis worked with both our twins-a girl and a boy-beginning in their junior year of high school. One twin was an honors student, the other struggled in school. However, Mark was able to guide both of them through what could be the intimidating process of finding which college, applying, and getting accepted. He also offered plenty of advice on funding opportunities and scholarships. Of course, this is what you expect all counselors to do.
Mark began by having our twins define who they were-via discussions and written essays. Then he helped refine these self-portraits, drilling down to what they believed in and why they felt as they did about themselves, society and their life goals.
Mark's "in the trenches" knowledge of the admission process and his tales of own academic career gave my kids confidence that they could apply anywhere and succeed. He offered advice on many angles and unusual opportunities-such as how Harvard was actively seeking students who loved Latin.
Mark ferreted out a unique concern of my daughter's-her efforts to bridge ethnic clique-ness at her high school-and suggested that could be very attractive to admission screeners. This social work set her apart from other college applicants with similar grades and test scores. Who she was as a person helped her get accepted to a very competitive college.
My son was convinced that Engineering was where his future lay. Mark suggested schools offering programs that fit a variety of my son's interests. A niche Engineering school might have seemed the perfect fit, but Mark could sense how changeable our son was. Sure enough, during Freshman year, our son realized that Engineering wasn't for him and switched to Design. Fortunately, Mark had guided him to a school that offered opportunities in many disciplines.
If you are concerned about the expense of a college admissions consultant, ask yourself how much your child's future is worth? Before you begin spending on tuition, dorms and text books, Mark can help you and your child choose well. Our daughter thought UC Berkeley was out of reach, but Mark helped her raise her expectations and came up with the strategy that got her accepted there-with scholarships.
We found Mark through a cousin of his who we'd known for years. Of course, given Mark's warm personality and optimism, he will quickly establish himself as a trusted friend helping your kids follow their dreams.
Everybody wishes for a wise Merlin "gatekeeper" to help us on our journey. Mark's experience and savvy make it easier to cross the scary college threshold with both knowledge and confidence. If you doubt my opinion, call Mark and talk for just a few minutes. He'll win you over. You'll see that gaining acceptance is his special talent.
Our daughter was in the unique position of applying to colleges twice-- first, fresh out of high school with no counsel and later with the help of Mark Lewis. In her senior year, our daughter graduated with a high GPA, extra circulars, and above average test scores. We believed that her academic performance alone was enough to get her into a top university. Therefore, she chose to apply to schools without the assistance or advice of a college counselor. Nine wait lists and four rejections later, we were dumfounded. I had read all the books on "how to" and "What Ivy league's want" and made "suggestions" to my daughter. Yet, it was clear that those suggestions were not credible or helpful enough.
Our daughter decided that it was in her best interest to take a gap year before attending a university, with thoughts of pursuing school after a year of recuperation. Then, she caught wind of a college counselor that had assisted one of her friends who was now attending UC Berkeley. Berkeley had been one of the three schools our daughter was rejected from. After one phone conversation with the counselor, our daughter was reinvigorated about attending school, and using her gap year productively to enhance her application. It was soon after that the name Mark Lewis became a source of inspiration not only for our daughter, but for my husband and I as well. He asked to read Adriana's essays from the previous year. Within the first glance, he was able to pinpoint why she was not accepted to schools that she was qualified for. It was all in her essay.