Being Geek Chic is a blog for stylish geeks, sophisticated nerds and people who enjoy the musings of a complete dork. Join us as we dream of driving the TARDIS, cuddle with our eBooks and test out an iPad sleeve. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi and a team of brilliant lady nerds. Meet the team.
I don’t know about you, but my high-school self hated college admissions season. The tests, applications, essays, judgmental peers, and hopeful parents all made for one very stressful time. And then, you get accepted! But it doesn’t end there. You need to choose a major, master the financial aid office, learn how to live with a roommate…ch-ch-changes.
Lady Geek Jessica Roberts (@AimHighPeyton), promoter of academic success and confidence, offers a shining beacon of guidance. She owns a college consulting service, Aim High Writing College Consulting, where she’s a “teacher, cheerleader, adviser taskmaster, and partner” committed to helping parents and students from grade school to graduate school navigate academia.
In her interview with Being Geek Chic, Roberts tells us about her motivations, inspirations, and unfortunate tween glitter makeup routine. Read on!
Q: How did you discover your passion?
A: With Aim High Writing College Consulting, I work as a Higher Education Consultant to both parents and students, and my clients range in age from grade school through graduate school. While I place a huge emphasis on teaching students how to write (from the competitive college or scholarship application essay to a standard school assignment), I am most interested in showing young people how to become what I call a “Self-Advocating Student,” someone who is confident in meeting and resolving academic, financial, and personal challenges that often arise in higher education settings.
I’ve always loved reading and writing. I remember as a kid waiting for summer, because that meant I could stay up every night until 3 a.m. reading with impunity. I’d bring books to restaurants and try to read them under the table. I carried a book with me everywhere. All of that reading helped me develop a strong written voice as well; I absorbed the language from all of my books and writing never felt too difficult to me.
I also loved History, and originally set off for college with the goal of becoming a professor. I received my BA from the University of Notre Dame, where I studied History and Russian. I went on for my M.A. at Harvard University, and then worked up to All But Dissertation in European History at Arizona State University.
However, as I moved closer and closer to becoming a historian, I realized I did not, in fact, want the life of an academic. I derived the most satisfaction from working with the students assigned to me as a graduate student instructor; I wanted to help young people develop their writing and communication skills, while helping them define and achieve their academic and professional goals.
I am so proud when a client informs me that she won a place in a competitive Master’s program after we worked on the application together, or when a parent reports his student’s writing skills have gone up a grade level. I had a client win a prestigious full-ride scholarship to a local university and she invited me to the award ceremony. The fact that she saw our work together as a factor to her success is one example of how incredibly gratifying I find my job.
Q: Where do you find your inspiration in life?
A: Talking with others has been the best source of inspiration for where to take the business, what services to offer, how to better reach people. I have my team of “advisors” helping me. My husband always lets me talk out new ideas I have and offers feedback. My father is a tremendous help with business logistics, and often adds an important angle to consider when I am bouncing ideas off of him.
The idea for Aim High Writing’s downloadable guides arose from a conversation with a friend, who is also a business owner. She is a mom to two boys, one of whom is a teenager. We were talking about how some parents want to be a part of their teen’s college applications experience and might be interested in some reading material that could show them how to best support their student in a time and cost-effective way.
Finally, every Wednesday I have it on my calendar to reach out and make new contacts. I meet with university admissions officers, tour college campuses, email other professionals working with students, and find opportunities to share my content, as well as the content of others.
Q: Proudest accomplishment thus far?
A: Professional: Every time a student receives good news about an application, scholarship, or school assignment! I am also excited to be working at Joint Base Lewis-McChord with military families, where I will be teaching a couple of classes for grade school students through teens on topics like Public Speaking, Film Studies, and Writing.
Personal: My marriage and home life. We have a dog, Mercury, and two cats, George and Gloria, and we are expecting our first child this fall.
Q: If you could take any fictional character out for a drink, whom would you choose and what would you drink?
A: My favorite book is Little Women; I own at least 3 copies currently and they are all falling apart from repeated readings. So I’d probably want to have some lemonade on a picnic with the March sisters during their younger years, before they started getting married / becoming disillusioned / dying.
And from a television show? No contest, Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation. She’s the best. We’d talk about Pawnee and Ron Swanson’s mustache.
Q: What would you tell your 13-year-old self?
A: Relax, you won’t be cripplingly shy forever. You will figure out what it is you want to do with your life. You will get better at asserting yourself and your needs. Put the book down once in a while and talk with people – it’s just as helpful (if not more so) for learning new things. And stop wearing all that face-glitter makeup.
Photography credit: LilyAnn Photography
Emma Bauer is a Being Geek Chic Contributor. Clearly, she’s got great taste. She is a PR enthusiast, history scholar, tea drinker, fashion devotee, and of course, aspires to Be Geek Chic. Follow her on Twitter: @emmalynnbauer
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