BALBOA INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
COLLEGE COUNSELING
Balboa International Education College Counseling (BIECC) is an education-consulting firm, which helps students apply for American universities, in addition to providing services for extra-curricular activities planning, pro forma guidance, study abroad applications, document alignment and polishing. BIECC uses its own high-quality education resources and full-time professional consultants to provide students with professional counseling for various applications including; high school, transfer students, and university, in addition to personalized study programs. We help every student apply to their dream university successfully.
Our full time counseling members of BIECC all have previously worked at or been affiliated with prestigious institutions or universities. Our overseas counseling experts make specialized elite programs for each student using their years of experience and their knowledge from working at or with top universities. The counseling experts teamed with the Balboa test preparation team use their unique knowledge to help students achieve academic progress. These counselors also help students with extracurricular activities, including domestic and international academic exchanges, Model UN, commercial competition activities, Global Young Leaders Conference, and Environment Science Investigation activities.
A student's university application is an essential part of the university application process. Our qualified counselors will use their experience to tailor the application process according to the applicant's academic background and personal growth experiences. Our counseling team highlights student's ability by fully understanding students and provides them a path to create an application that stands out. Our interview preparation classes help students show their best reaction, way of thinking, academic ability, life experiences and charisma. From our many years of experience, our previous students have been successful in gaining attendance to prestigious universities. We have a database of the types of interview questions students will encounter and our counselors can create a private, custom interview-training program to effectively assist in the interview process.
BALBOA INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION IS YOUR ANSWER TO ATTENDING UNIVERSITY OVERSEAS.
DAVID WISNER
CEO, Executive Chair of AEG
Mr. Wisner is the CEO of Balboa International Education and Executive Chair of AEG. Mr. Wisner graduated from the University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA). He has great knowledge and understanding about the cultural and educational differences between eastern and western countries. He focuses on using the educational theories and methodologies to cultivate international students to be excellent. Mr. Wisner is a member of NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling) and a member of NAFSA (Association of International Educators). He has in-depth knowledge and great understanding of American Ivy League admissions and enrollment philosophy.
THOMAS CALEEL
Professional Counselor
Thomas R. Caleel recently served as Director of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid for the Wharton School from 2005-2008. He has a wide range of experience as an entrepreneur, venture financier, and chief executive, especially in international markets. His background includes managing international development for a super-premium skincare and spa start-up; building private equity transactions in the former Soviet Republics; and raising public and private funds across the energy, recycling, and life sciences sectors. Thomas received an MBA from Wharton in 2003, with a major in finance, and a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania in 1994.
JUDITH SILVERMAN HODARA
Professional Counselor
Judith Silverman Hodara, EdD, is an admissions professional with over two decades of experience at the University of Pennsylvania. Her passion for working with students and their families has been a motivating factor in her work, where she has served as Associate Director of International Admissions for Penn’s undergraduate division and Acting Director of MBA Admissions/Senior Associate Director of Admissions for the Wharton School of Business. Upon graduating with a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania, Judith recruited both domestically and internationally for a decade before moving into graduate admissions. Learning the process from the inside out, she evaluated over 10,000 undergraduate application files during her tenure. She brings this understanding of what makes a successful undergraduate candidate to her client interactions. Judith has also served as Director of Admission at the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, and as the Director of Academic Affairs for the Rothberg School at Hebrew University. Judith received her Doctorate of Education in Higher Education Administration from the University of Pennsylvania.
DR. STEPHEN PARKER
Senior Education Consultant
Dr. Parker graduated from Harvard University and founded Balboa School in 1991 with the vision of creating a dynamic, creative secondary school for children who wanted and needed a more exciting and structured program with small classes. Balboa School and its educators have gained wide acclaim for providing a framework for unleashing individual talent in each student. Dr. Parker has over 30 years of experience working with a broad range of students including those who are highly gifted and those who are gifted and unmotivated. He is a frequent speaker on special and gifted education topics and has developed social skills programs and SAT preparation courses as ell as the curriculum at Balboa School. Dr. Parker is a dynamic educator and works tirelessly to help students reach their potential.
LIBBY ZHANG
Director of Balboa International Education College Counseling and Primary Programs
Ms. Zhang is a member of NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling) and a member of NAFSA (Association of International Educators). She received her B.A. in English Literature from Northwest University and a Msc. in Construction Management from Chang An University. She is one of the founders of New Synergy Institute. Since 2009, Libby Zhang has focused on Sino-US culture exchange programs, college counseling and assisting students with college applications. She has assisted over 200 students gain acceptance to top US Universities such as UCLA, Boston University, UC Berkley, Georgetown University, George Washington University, University of Rochester, New York University, among others. She has a rich and outstanding knowledge and experience about American universities' student enrollment system, scholarship and application process, and student resume improvement.
ADAM GODWIN
University Counselor
Mr. Godwin graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison. Mr. Godwin has been focusing on the culture and academic exchange for the last few years, he has great experience on helping students choose a suitable major and university for their studies in the United States.
NATALIE CLARK ADDLESON
Vice Principal and Director of International Programs of Balboa School
Ms. Clark Addleson has a Masters of Arts in teaching from Marshall University and is the Vice Principal of Balboa School where she collaborates with the Executive Director and other members of the administration in the development of new policies and procedures. She is also the Director of International Programs and is responsible for implementing the curriculum of overseas programs. With 16 years experience in high school teaching and administration she understands the importance of helping students plan for their future lives and careers.
LYNN E. PETRO
Professional Counselor
She graduated from University of Texas at Austin, and has a Master of Arts, as well as a Foreign Language Education certificate. The main courses she has taken were ESL Teaching Theory, ESL Teaching Methodology, Psycholinguistics and History of English. Apart from her Master Degree, she also has other degrees from State University of New York at Buffalo, Bachelor of Arts in both French and Linguistics. Lynn has great English teaching and management experience; she worked for Aston International Academy as the School Director and Academic Director. She was responsible for designing school programs, selecting course materials and teachers, and managing all finances. Before she became the director, she taught TOFEL listening, pronunciation, grammar, conversation, and reading for beginner, intermediate and advanced classes.