5 Questions For Ilumin Consultant, Sarah Yiu

1. What inspired you to be an educational consultant?

   I love and treasure the opportunity to be in students’ life. As an older sibling, I’m privileged to have a great relationship with my little sister who’s much younger than me. I enjoy sharing her excitement in life as well as walking alongside her through struggles. Over the years of mentoring teenagers as a college counselor, I have seen many high school students who were battling anxiety and depression because of the stress from school and the expectation to succeed they put on themselves. My goal is to be their confidante and coach throughout the college preparation process, helping them achieve their best potential. I want every student that I work with to enjoy high school and even the college application process and be able to look back confidently on their work and journey, knowing that they have achieved their goals and grown in maturity.  

2. What is your favorite part about your work?

   As a curious person, I love that I get to constantly learn something new through my work: about the students I work with, the latest changes in admission trends, and new developments in specific colleges, etc. I enjoy diving into research and sharing useful information and important resources with students to help them make good decisions and reach their goals. I also love guiding students through the college essay writing process. It may be a tough task for students, but it is also a great time for self-reflection, and an opportunity to creatively tell their unique story. Even students who are natural writers may not be ready to jump in to talk about themselves. I use fun brainstorm exercises to help them reflect from a different lens. A good example is Randy, a quiet and studious senior I worked with who struggled with being personal in his college essays. His first few drafts were all about Economics, his major, and they were frankly speaking, quite monotonous. After he was stuck for a few days, I asked him to list several things about him that would surprise people. He started talking about the indie filmmakers he’s been following and showed me a spreadsheet he kept of films he’s watched with his own ratings. And then I learned about the short film he had made with his iPhone. And then he turned his hidden passion into a brilliant essay.

3. What do you want students to know?

   I want students to know that it is normal to feel overwhelmed sometimes. Sometimes college planning sounds too far out when you feel like you haven’t even figured out who you are and what you like. You really want to get inspired but you haven’t discovered your passion yet. Don’t feel like you need to have it all figured out. Colleges are not looking for perfect students with all the answers. On the contrary, colleges want students who are curious and motived to learn about the world and their place in it. They are looking for risktakers and people who are willing to give 100% in everything they do. So don’t be afraid to try and fail. New experiences and failures unlock new levels of self-discovery. As a mentor, I guide students towards their college goals by first helping them gain self-awareness. It’s a continuous process that never ends, but you get better at listening to yourself through practice. I find it to be crucial to success in life.  

4. What do you want parents to know?

   Teenagers need parents’ help to develop independent decision-making skills. I have met students who were paralyzed by college choices simply because they have never made a decision for themselves without their parents. Start by encouraging them to make small decisions like family weekend plans, and gradually help them build confidence and skills to make bigger choices like career interests and college majors. When students encounter problems, for some parents, it may be their first instinct to offer solutions. Maturing teenagers need obstacles and experiences of setback to grow in independence. Instead of immediately offering their opinions and solutions, parents can take time listening to their struggles and supporting them emotionally. Encourage them to think of possible next steps and affirm them when they take small steps of change. When teenagers feel trusted and that their emotions and opinions are valued, they grow in accountability and maturity.

   I worked with a student who was really passive in the beginning of our coaching relationship. Although his parents had the best intentions, they also filled his schedule with plans they made for him. He was willing to follow instructions but was hardly interested in trying harder than the bare minimum. After several hard conversations, he finally said that he wanted to make a change. I asked him about 3 things he cared about, and we worked together to plan his summer activities. Going through each of the programs and analyzing what he’s interested in (I had to push him to think of “why”), that was when he told me that he had never read about the activities before participating in them in the past. Over the next 3 years, as I continued to coach him on starting a new club, leading a service project, and eventually making a college list and writing essays, I got to witness how much he has changed. He gradually became more proactive and committed, and a lot more confident. I learned that empowering young people could start with giving them the space and tool to make choices for themselves.

5. What is one piece of advice you would give to rising seniors?

   Stay organized. When you’re working on multiple applications, things start to feel repetitive and the amount of information you need to handle can be overwhelming. I had a student who got his information mixed up and completely missed an important deadline. You don’t want to make careless mistakes on any part of this. From making a college list to noting deadlines and documents you need for each application, an organized plan not only improves your workflow and time management, but it also enhances the quality of work and reduces stress. Whatever app or tool you use, find a system that works for you and diligently keep it updated. You’ll need information such as account logins, deadlines, interactions with admissions and notes for each college at hand. I work closely with students to set a college admissions timeline according to their workstyle, and I follow up on their progress at each step so students will approach this important final stretch with confidence and minimum stress.