Meet the Team

Megan is the Owner and CEO of College Planning Partnerships and the Founder and CEO of All Girls’ Prep. She leads both organizations with a focus on helping students build confidence, improve their academic performance, and better understand their own capabilities.

Megan graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a degree in Astrophysics. During her time there, she conducted observational research and spent much of her time working at Sommers-Bausch Observatory. After graduating, she taught at AstroCamp in Idyllwild, California, where she led hands-on physics and astronomy labs and helped students engage with science in a more tangible way.

Following her time at AstroCamp, Megan joined College Planning Partnerships, where she has spent the past several years working closely with students, families, and school partners. Over that time, she has played a central role in shaping the company’s academic programming, including developing curriculum for the adaptive digital SAT and leading both one-on-one and group instruction. Her work has also expanded into partnerships with schools, teacher training, and program development.

She has spent years working closely with students preparing for high-stakes exams and navigating academic pressure. A central part of her work is helping students move past self-doubt and approach their work with more clarity and confidence. This is especially important to her when working with young women in math and STEM, where she saw firsthand how confidence can shape outcomes.

Through her work with both CPP and All Girls’ Prep, Megan has built programs that combine strong academic instruction with mentorship and support. Her goal is not only to help students reach higher scores, but to help them recognize what they are capable of.

Outside of her work, Megan is an avid trail runner and competes in ultra-distance mountain races. She also has a strong connection to music, both of which continue to shape how she shows up in her work and in her life.

Diana holds degrees in Mathematics and Education and a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from CU Boulder. With nearly a decade of experience teaching math in the classroom and tutoring, she specializes in secondary math and SAT/ACT preparation, including working in international schools and IB programs. Diana excels at building strong relationships with students and creating learning environments where they feel supported and successful. She is passionate about watching students grow through tutoring and coaching, helping them develop confidence and reach their academic goals.

Chando has over seven years of tutoring experience in two of the most academically cutthroat cities in the States – New York City and Los Angeles. While he started out primarily as a college admissions exam expert, Chando has gone on to help students achieve success on all major secondary school exams (ISEE, SSAT, SHSAT, HUNTER EXAM, SCAT, etc). He has a great track record of getting students into Hunter College High school, as well as some of the top specialized high schools in NYC, including Stuyvesant and the Bronx Science.

Chando received his bachelor’s degree in music from Williams College and master’s degree in music composition from New York University. Outside of tutoring, he works as a freelance music producer/songwriter. He recently relocated from Seattle to Los Angeles to open a music studio.

Matthew is an English Language Arts teacher of nearly two decades at one of the top academically performing public schools in Connecticut, supporting, directly, students’ academic success as well as standardized test performance. He is a former Teacher of the Year Finalist. A graduate of Xavier High School and St. Michael’s College, Matthew holds an advanced leadership, 6th-year certificate from Sacred Heart University. Matthew has worked extensively with students in need of accommodation and modification to their studies, as well as those at the top echelon of their cohort, aiding in their admission into some of the most rigorous universities in the country, including service academies.

Rebekah was the Salutatorian of the class of 2018 at Hamilton College. They double majored in mathematics and creative writing and were given the school’s highest math award, the Kirkland Prize in Mathematics, as well as the Phi Beta Kappa Book Award, and The Rose B. Tager Prize for short stories. They are a Phi Beta Kappa member and a recipient of the Thomas E. Meehan Prize for creative writing. Rebekah seeks to use intersections and parallels between math and language to help their students better understand both fields. In their free time, they enjoy reading, solving puzzles, playing board games, and pestering their cats. Rebekah attended an international high school in Budapest, Hungary before relocating to the United States for college.

Originally from Rochester, New York, Selene is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Southern California. She spent her first year at USC as a pre-med neuroscience major and was awarded the Albert Fisher Scholarship in Science. Ultimately, she decided to follow her passion for the arts and earned her degree in Public Relations with a minor in Theatre. On campus, she worked with USC’s Admission Office as a Student Ambassador and served as the president and treasurer of her beloved a cappella group. Off campus, she put her degree to work, interning at companies like DreamWorks and NBCUniversal. Prior to USC, Selene graduated salutatorian of her high school class as a National Merit Scholar, National AP Scholar, Presidential Scholar candidate, and Bronze Congressional Award Medalist.

Selene has taught students in topics ranging from calculus to Shakespeare. As a teacher and tutor, she has helped hundreds of students raise their test scores through ACT, SAT, SSAT, and ISEE instruction. She teaches in a clear and methodical manner, while quickly adjusting to a student’s individual needs. While working with her students, Selene hopes to build their confidence as they reach their full potential.

Hanna holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Management Systems Engineering and a Master’s degree in Engineering Management. In the software industry, she developed educational content to support customer onboarding and improve product adoption. She became certified in the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) and contributed to the delivery of agile training sessions for coworkers, managers, and executives. Driven by a passion for student success, she now focuses on tutoring in math and preparing students for the SAT and ACT.

Anna Backer attended Northwestern University as a National Merit Scholar, graduating magna cum laude with a major in Theater, certificate in Music Theater, and modules in Arts Leadership and Management and Music Theater Choreography. During her time at Northwestern, she was a proud member of TONIK Tap, Northwestern’s premier tap dance company. She has been tutoring the SAT and ACT since 2018, aiding dozens of students in achieving their standardized test goals. Anna’s students have gone on to study at such schools as Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Michigan State, UCLA, and Yeshiva University, to name a few. Anna’s approach to standardized testing focuses both on content and larger problem solving skills. She believes there are many ways to solve the same problem and encourages her students to approach things with curiosity, thereby increasing their confidence in their own abilities. Outside her educational pursuits, Anna is a professional dancer and was most recently seen on the Broadway national tour of the Lerner and Loewe classic musical My Fair Lady.

David Hill is currently a private school teacher in Austin, Texas. David graduated from Harvard University where he studied applied mathematics and physics. David values education and has completed over 6000 hours of tutoring in the past 5 years. Despite growing up in a small and rural part of Georgia, David achieved his dream of becoming the first student in his high school’s history to be accepted into Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. David’s achievement was in large part due to the fact that David received a perfect score on the math section of the SAT, scored in the 99th percentile on the reading section, and passed 13 AP exams. David was also the commander of a 100 person JROTC cadet corps and the founder of his high school’s first chess club. David truly enjoys helping students attend their dream universities. He understands how much potential students have but many students lack the knowledge and experience to be successful in the college application process. Hence, he started his own tutoring company, Hill Top Prep Tutoring, to provide high-quality tutoring at an affordable price. In fact, HillTop Prep offers students SAT/ACT and college application group instruction for as little as 12 dollars an hour. As a tutor, David strives to ensure that his students truly understand the topics at a deeper level. He is passionate about helping students feel confident in their abilities. In his free time, David loves to exercise. His three favorite forms of exercise are playing basketball, running, and lifting weights. David’s favorite board game is chess, and he almost never turns down a game of chess. Last but certainly not least, David makes time for video games as well. His go-to video games are Call of Duty, NBA 2k, and Fortnite.

Jaya Carter is a dedicated and experienced tutor with over seven years of success in helping students achieve academic excellence. Specializing in SAT and ACT preparation, as well as core subjects like math, physics, and chemistry, she has supported learners from elementary through college levels in reaching their academic goals. Known for her tailored teaching methods, Jaya combines individualized learning plans with effective test-taking strategies, helping students increase their confidence and improve test scores significantly. A proud graduate of Howard University, where she earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in Computer Information Systems, Jaya has always had a passion for education and problem-solving. She uses her technical and analytical background to create engaging learning environments that foster curiosity and growth. When she’s not tutoring, Jaya enjoys attending ballet classes, swimming, roller skating, and spending quality time with friends and family. Her approach to teaching is rooted in empathy, patience, and a commitment to lifelong learning.

Rochelle is an English Language Arts teacher in West Hartford, CT, specializing in AP Language and Composition, Women’s Literature (College Level), SAT/ACT prep, and college essay writing. She holds a B.A. in English Education from the University of Delaware and an M.A. in English from Central Connecticut State University. By tailoring her approach to each student’s learning style, Rochelle helps all students reach their full potential and build confidence and support to succeed in their studies.

Philadelphia born and raised, Kaitlyn graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in sociology and minors in music and cognitive science. A life-long learner and teacher, she got her first paid tutoring job in middle school. She really began honing her teaching skills in high school, when she passed chemistry mainly because she had to learn the material well enough to teach it to her friends at lunch the next day. Since then, she has worked in pre-kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high school classrooms, teaching lessons on subjects including reading, math, history, and nutrition. Most recently, Kaitlyn specializes in standardized test prep, helping dozens of students achieve their goals on tests including the ACT, SAT, SHSAT, SSAT, and GED exams. She thinks about preparing for tests the same way you would train as an athlete, musician, performer, or artist: consistent, low-volume practice reinforcing proper technique will always yield better results—with less stress— than irregular, marathon sessions. Having previously worked in foster care and Head Start classrooms, Kaitlyn has experience guiding students with different learning abilities and styles, and she is prepared to adapt lessons to each individual student.

Alexander graduated from Cornell University in 2012, with a BA in Economics and a Minor in Computing in the Arts. After graduating, he pursued postgraduate studies in FALCON, a full year intensive Mandarin studies program, partly at the Cornell University campus and partly at the highly ranked Peking University, in Beijing China.

After completing his postgraduate Mandarin studies in May 2013, Alexander remained in China and worked as a tutor for Pattison Education, where he taught English to Chinese students at all levels, in a 1-to-1 setting. Most courses were taught to high school students, and designed with regard to the best possible preparation for specific English tests, such as TOEFL, IELTS, SAT, ACT, SSAT, and higher level subject tests such as AP US History, and AP Economics (Micro/Macro). While in China, Alexander completed his HSK level 5 Certification.

Upon returning to the USA, Alexander continued his tutoring career by tutoring high school and undergraduate students online with various companies, such as Wyzant, Bridges to Readiness, and Varsity Tutors. Alexander continues to tutor a variety of subjects, including SAT, AP Economics, ACT, Chinese, TOEFL, Math, and SSAT.

Alexander also holds a 120 hour TEFL Certification as well as a 50 hour Teaching Business English Certification.

Annika Chavez comes from a family of lifelong educators. Both her parents were high school teachers and as a result, Annika has always seen life as a journey of learning. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from USC (Town and Gown Scholar) where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. As a teacher, Annika has over 5 years of experience in both one-on-one and classroom instruction in SAT/ACT/PSAT/CBEST. She has helped countless students improve their standardized test scores. As a tutor, Annika is comfortable supporting students in a variety of subjects and is trained in helping students with executive functioning skills. Her greatest strengths are her adaptability and intuition, allowing her to give every student the experience that best suits them. Along with teaching, Annika is also an award-winning filmmaker who works on independent films, music videos, and commercials. In her free time, Annika loves watching movies on Criterion, cooking soups, and free hand crocheting.

Sara discovered her passion for tutoring and teaching while earning her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry at Smith College. Not only did she serve as a teaching assistant for the Biology Department and the Philosophy Department, Sara served as a tutor at Smith’s Quantitative Resource Center where she worked with students taking economics. Upon her graduation from Smith, Sara enrolled in the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education where she earned a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction with a concentration in science education. She currently works as a biology and chemistry teacher at The Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Connecticut. When she isn’t pursuing her passions for science or education, Sara enjoys running, hiking, and playing with her dog, Max.

Sai has experience tutoring K–12 students in mathematics and supporting SAT/ACT preparation through targeted practice. She holds a B.S. in Biology from the University of Houston, recently completed her M.S. in Microbiology & Immunology at Tulane University School of Medicine, and is currently pursuing a career in medicine.

In addition to mathematics, Sai has strengths in academic writing and literary analysis, along with a strong academic background in the sciences. She values breaking down challenging concepts into manageable steps and helping students build confidence in their understanding. Sai recognizes that every student learns differently and that building a strong foundation is sometimes the most important step toward mastering more advanced concepts.

Outside of academics, she enjoys cooking new recipes, spending time with family and friends, and exploring the city!