That said, however, the personal essay was not even close to being the only part of her acceptance. When we just started working and she said that she had 2 gap years, I was worried that I would let her down. So we focused on rebranding her application entirely — and I am glad we made the right bet. When Ruhshona was deciding where to apply to ED, I dared to suggest UPenn because I had a feeling that this was THE story they would like.

I never planned to work or be in admissions help. But this unexpectedly became such a rewarding experience. So happy for Ruhshona and her family. What a way to end the semester.