About

The Kaplan Educational Group is a college and graduate-school admissions advising organization comprised of passionate advisers committed to unlocking each student’s potential. Our team draws from their own educational and professional experiences to help our students reach their long-term goals.

Greg Kaplan

Greg Kaplan is an internationally recognized college admissions strategist, author, and speaker who draws on his experience as an investment banker and lawyer to develop students’ passions, skills, and interests to guide students through their journey to college and career. Greg is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business and the UC Irvine School of Law, where he received close to a full-tuition scholarship.

Riley Araujo

Riley is a seasoned college admissions strategist with a BA in Political Science from UCLA. Prior to joining Kaplan Educational Group, he worked at another college admissions advising firm, where he specialized in helping students earn admission to highly selective universities. Riley also worked as an instructor for a Silicon Valley-based EdTech startup where he taught a social-emotional learning curriculum to high school students. Riley leverages his skill sets in academic planning, strategic profile development, application support, and essay advising to help students articulate a unique and compelling narrative. Riley is committed to leaving no stone unturned to ensure his students make the most of the admissions process and submit applications that are authentic, persuasive, and unforgettable. An Orange County native, Riley enjoys being active, spending time at the beach, golfing, reading, and cooking.

Jae Bang

Jae is an experienced higher education strategist and counselor. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. He also received his JD from Columbia University, after which he practiced corporate law in New York and San Francisco for 6+ years at various international corporate law firms. In addition to practicing law, Jae taught LSAT to aspiring law students, worked at various fashion houses in New York while attending Parsons, and learned French in Paris. He brings his multifaceted experience working in three continents to help unlock his students’ best potential. Jae is fluent in Korean.

Ami Berman

Ami Berman is a college admissions strategist with a BA in Economics and Environmental Science from Emory University. He is an environmentally focused entrepreneur as the founder of a solar company, Sun and Done, and cofounder of a conservation-focused nonprofit. Prior to joining Kaplan Educational Group, Ami worked for private foundations and Fortune 500 companies where he managed impactful projects and helped organizations refine and execute their missions. Ami has worked with high school students for over a decade and has experience supporting students with business prototyping. He enjoys volunteering with local charities, swimming, diving, and spending time with his dog Delilah. 

Will Boger

Will Boger is a college admissions strategist who earned a BA in Cinema Critical Studies from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, where he received a full-tuition scholarship. Prior to joining Kaplan Educational Group, he worked as an Artificial Intelligence Analyst at Relativity, where he helped train their eDiscovery-focused language model AI. He also served as a Teaching Assistant at USC’s Annenberg School of Communication where he researched, graded, and helped teach graduate and undergraduate classes. Will was born in São Paulo, Brazil, and grew up in Southern California. He believes that community and mentorship can help each person forge a path to success and fulfillment. His life experiences have led him to develop a ravenous curiosity and appreciation for art, psychology, divinity, technology, and all their intersections. Will incorporates a holistic approach to prepare students to thrive in their educations, careers, and the lives they will lead beyond.

Jacob Elsanadi

Jacob is a college admissions strategist with a B.A. from UC Berkeley. While at Berkeley, he pursued an interdisciplinary major in Society and the Environment. As part of his education, Jacob developed a thesis project after which he graduated with honors and distinction. Prior to joining the team at Kaplan Educational Group, Jacob worked in the gourmet restaurant world as a chef and business development assistant to culinary legend Alice Waters. His experience allowed him to immerse himself in the intersection of entrepreneurship, luxury branding, and the food industry. He continues to nurture a passion for food and has been writing on the subject for the past year through Substack. Jacob applies his life experiences pursuing his passions and creativity through his career when helping students reach their full potential, in college and beyond. 

Katarina Hicks

Katarina is a college admission strategist with a BA from Pomona College. Originally on a pre-med track, Katarina was drawn to classes that explored the creation of stories and their societal impact, ultimately leading her to major in Media Studies. Before joining Kaplan Educational Group, she worked in entertainment as a Development Executive for Lynda Obst Productions and Franklin Entertainment, where she collaborated with writers to shape their stories into sellable film and TV projects for studios such as Amazon, Disney, Sony, and Paramount. In addition to her work at Kaplan, Katarina also works as a Queue Manager at Scale AI where she works on projects that generate data to train AI models. Katarina grew up in Los Angeles, the daughter of a devoted LAUSD Principal, and attended Marlborough School. When she’s not working, she can be found cooking, reading, or chasing after her toddler. 

Alex Kaplan

Alex is a college admissions strategist. Prior to joining the Kaplan Educational Team, he worked for Agriculture Capital, a private equity firm specializing in sustainable agriculture investments, where he oversaw planning and operations in California.  Alex also worked in management for Bolthouse Farms and at Illumina, a biotechnology firm, where he supervised a clinical laboratory manufacturing reagent chemicals used in DNA sequencing. Alex brings his perspective from working in competitive industries and guides students to develop a path for their higher education and career goals.  Alex completed his undergrad in Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and an Executive MBA from Fresno State. Alex enjoys golfing, surfing, and adventuring with his dog.

Matt Lemas

Matthew Lemas is an experienced college admissions specialist who has worked with countless students to reach their college admission goals over the last six years. He earned an MFA/MA in creative writing and English from Chapman University, where he also taught first-year students in their introductory writing courses. Prior to Chapman, he earned a B.A. in journalism and political science from USC, serving as the editor-in-chief of the university newspaper, The Daily Trojan. With an intimate understanding of both the admissions process and the craft of writing, Matthew enjoys helping students present their best possible selves in their applications.

George McGuirk

George is a college admissions strategist with vast experience working as a college success coach and mentor, helping students refine their study strategies and develop better habits. As an incoming college freshman, he was accepted into the Documentary Production program at the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University, one of the top film schools in the nation. He later switched majors and graduated with a BA in Public Relations, Advertising, and Entertainment Marketing. After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, George was inspired to shift his focus to education to empower high school and college students to thrive. He returned to Chapman, where he completed his MA in Leadership Development while also playing another season of college lacrosse, finishing his career as one of Chapman’s all-time leading scorers, earning First Team All-American honors, and being voted the Offensive Player of the Year. George is an adjunct professor of Leadership Studies at Chapman and serves as an assistant coach for the men’s lacrosse team. During the summer, he teaches a class on Reading and Study Skills at his alma mater, Choate Rosemary Hall, a boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut.

Sahil Mohan

With over five years of experience teaching in higher education, Sahil Mohan is a dedicated college admissions strategist who combines creativity, technical expertise, and business acumen to help students make their case for admission. He holds a Master of Architecture (MArch) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a BA in Architecture with a certificate in Computation and New Media from the University of California, Berkeley. As a co-founder of VERS—a zero-to-one design, development, and research firm—he has worked with clients such as Harper’s Bazaar, Mugler, ROCnation, Glamour UK, and 7000coils. Before joining Kaplan Educational Group, Sahil developed and taught undergraduate and graduate design courses at MIT, where he also evaluated applications as a member of the Master of Architecture admissions committee and launched the Assistant Mentorship Program (AMP) focused on advising minority students through the admissions process. Drawing on his diverse background, Sahil helps students build applications that are not only creative and compelling, but also strategically tailored for success in college admissions.

Emily is an admissions strategist with a BA in Journalism and Gender Studies from Loyola Marymount University, where she graduated at the top of her class. She is a gifted storyteller who honed her craft while working as a journalist for NBC and E! News, covering diverse topics across the fields of wellness, health, technology, and pop culture. After discovering her passion for empowering others through the written word, she transitioned to the realm of college admissions advising to help students identify their story and persuasively make the case for admission. She has helped students earn admission to USC, Dartmouth, various University of California campuses, and countless others. As a Newport Beach native and Corona del Mar High School alumna, she brings a unique perspective to the team as she is able to draw upon her intimate knowledge of the local educational landscape. This insight ensures students not only find their perfect fit at a university but also flourish academically and personally. Outside of working with students, Emily enjoys blogging, practicing yoga, and tackling her bucket list of global hiking destinations.

Lilliana Tannous

Lilliana is a college admissions consultant and a former UC Irvine lecturer with over six years of experience working in the field of education. Lilliana earned full tuition coverage to the MFA Program in Poetry at UC Irvine: one of only six positions offered in the nation. As a graduate student, Lilliana taught undergraduate Composition, Rhetoric, and Beginning Poetry. Upon receiving her MFA, Lilliana continued in the education field as a UC Irvine lecturer, a primary and academic counselor, and a college admissions consultant. While working with her students, Lilliana earned an MS in School Counseling and a Pupil Personnel Services credential through California State University at Long Beach's rigorous school counseling program. She has been a guest poet at various literary events and her work has been featured in Juked, Subliminal Interiors, Gaze, and Canto Magazine among others. Acceptance into her top-choice program was the most significant door that has opened for her to live out her life's purpose as an educator and writer. Today, she is thrilled to play a part in her students' personal visions of higher education and beyond so that they may achieve at their highest levels.

Meredith Stenta

Meredith Stenta is the Program Director for the Kaplan Educational Group. After earning her degree from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, she embarked on a career as an analyst in the investment finance sector. Later, she chose to stay at home and raise her children, both of whom are now adults. Her son recently graduated from college and her daughter is currently a sophomore in college. Over the years, Meredith actively volunteered in various leadership roles in Irvine public schools. Before joining the Kaplan Educational Group, she worked in the finance department at Irvine Public Schools Foundation. Her experience helps her identify with parents navigating the complicated college admissions process with their children. Meredith is an avid distance runner, having completed twenty-four marathons, including eleven Boston Marathons.