Our Mission: To Connect students with a school that feels like home.
Our Why
College is already hard and getting there shouldn’t be
There is a lot of hype and frenzy over the college admissions process. Parents realize that a lot has changed since they went to college.
So often, years ago, people applied to a college because they wanted to go, not because it was a fit for them. Nowadays, with the cost of college steadily increasing and the daunting and competitive landscape, it’s even more important to be intentional about this major life decision.
We are changing that narrative.
You want your teen to thrive in college and finish.
Our proprietary framework, Keep C.A.L.M. (College and Accelerated Leadership Methodology) is all about having a clear grade-by-grade roadmap of actionable steps that students can take to navigate through high school and be positioned for the college admissions process.
We also incorporate mindfulness training with all of our students to help manage down any stress associated with academics and college-readiness.
The over-arching “theme” of our programs and services is that the student has ownership of the process, while gaining the tools and resources to make this important decision with confidence.
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Meet our Founder
I founded Compass College Advisory based on the research of my doctoral program at Stanford, combined with my mom intuition. There isn’t anything else I would be doing . . . it’s truly my calling.
Not only am I a first generation college-student, I’m a first generation high school graduate. My mom finished 8th grade and my dad finished 10th so they did not know how to guide me through high school. My mother desperately wanted me to stay at home and commute to a local college. She had never heard of Stanford and having her “baby” that far from home was unthinkable.
What if my mother didn’t allow me to go away to college because it was a college that was a) too far away and b) she had never heard of it?
I vowed that I would never let this happen to anyone else again.
When I became a mom, I was obsessed with schooling and learning everything I could to help them navigate the education systems. This obsession got so bad that I returned to Stanford to get my doctorate degree in Education.
Fellow parents saw my success with finding my children the right out-of-school programs, advocating with teachers, and disciplining my children with grace. When parents asked me to help them, I developed a program that was based on the research of my doctoral program combined with my mom intuition.
Once my initial students were admitted to their top choice colleges AND getting big scholarship money, I knew it wasn’t a fluke. I had perfected my process and I decided that day to help as many families as I possibly could crack the code on getting in and getting money for college.
Dr. Pamela Ellis
Founder
Dr. Pamela is an avid concert fan and has attended hundreds of performances since age 4. Her most memorable concert was seeing Prince open for Rick James!
BA, Stanford University; MBA, Tuck School at Dartmouth College; PhD, Stanford University School of Education
Fiona Arnold
Executive Assistant
Fiona is a lover of houseplants, having over 20 in her apartment. Her favorite plant right now is her Pink Princess Philodendron!
BA, The Ohio State University
Maggie Krauss
Programs
In the late 80s through the 90s Maggie had a “winning streak” with call-in radio contests – she won concert tickets (Duran Duran), movie tickets (Gleaming the Cube starring Christian Slater), CDs, and a ticket to go to an event to try to win $50,000 (sadly, she did not win the $50k).
BA, Wright State University; Masters, Wright State University
Jeremy Kruger
Sales
Jeremy once performed as a bird caller on David letterman!
BA, Whitman College
Jan Menafee
Partnerships
Jan reads a book a week.
BA, Georgetown University
Miles Menafee
Essays
Miles’ favorite board game is Scattergories!
BA, Stanford University
Symone Speech
College Counselor/NCAA Athletic Recruiting Specialist
Symone played professional volleyball in Europe.
BA, Georgetown University
Our Vision: To be the premier educational advising firm serving families with compassion and joy to meet them where they are.
Our Values align with who we are and how we serve families every day
Family First
We prioritize the needs of family.
Empathic Listening
We communicate with honesty even when it is difficult.
Lifelong Learning
We commit to becoming better through learning and development.
Put Gratitude in Your Attitude
We live life with a humble and grateful demeanor.
Plan for the Future
We enjoy where we are, and we prepare for where we want to go.