Global Team; Global Results
At Admittance Education, our team is the heart of what we do. Comprised of experienced college counselors, admissions experts, and educational consultants, we bring a global perspective and personalized approach to guide students through the university preparation and application process. With a deep understanding of admissions systems in the US, Canada, UK, and Europe, as well as expertise in securing financial aid and scholarships for international students, our team is committed to helping each student achieve their academic goals. By combining years of experience with innovative tools and a passion for education, we work closely with students and their families to unlock opportunities at top universities around the world. Meet the dedicated professionals who will support you every step of the way.
Yesim Erez
Founder & Managing Director, Certified Educational Planner
Yesim is among fewer than 300 Certified Educational Planners in the world. She is an IECA Professional Member, ex-officio for the Global Committee, NACAC and IACAC Member, organizations that distinguish and admit only counselors working ethically, without commissions. She has completed her UCLA College Counseling Certification with Distinction
With 20+ years of experience managing teams to success as a marketing executive with background managing global brands, Yesim has extensive experience in communication strategy and product development as well as scaling startups. Yesim holds an MBA from Michigan State University, and has earned certifications and programs from Columbia University, Harvard Business School and MIT .
Hande Yalaza
Director of Operations
Hande Yalaza hails from Istanbul. Before managing our operations, she has studied Economics and comes with 10 years of corporate experience, working in Treasury at Zorlu Holding and Denizbank. She transitioned her career to teaching English as a second language and has been working with middle and high schoolers for the last ten years. Hande joined Admittance Education in 2021 as a manager.
Francis McIvor
College Counselor
Born in London of Irish nationality, Francis read Classics at Magdalene College, Cambridge and then trained as a teacher. He taught Philosophy, Latin and Greek at Norwich School in England. At Norwich, he also served as Oxbridge coordinator, counseling students applying to Oxford, Cambridge and other selective UK universities, as well as to the US. He then moved to be University Counselor at the British School Jakarta, where he developed knowledge of Australian, Canadian, and Asian Universities. As a High School Counselor at the International School of Florence, he became familiar with European universities, particularly those in the Netherlands. Francis holds the MEd in International Counseling from Lehigh University, as well as the UCLA Certificate in College Counseling.
Nazan Akman Pek
College Counselor
Around 30 years of teaching and research experience in academia has given Nazan a wide-ranging opportunity to work with students as advisor, mentor and teacher. She is a skilled academician in student communications. She is retired from her faculty position at Istanbul Technical University (ITU) in Istanbul, Turkey, where she also served the Academic Coordinator of Disaster Management Program. Nazan has a BS and a PhD from ITU and an MS degree from MIT.
She has completed her College Counseling Program at UCLA with distinction, is a member of the IECA and IACAC.
Can Baycan
College Counselor
Can Baycan is based in Istanbul, and is a graduate of Robert College. After getting his BS in Civil Engineering at Bogazici University in Istanbul, Can attended Duke University where he earned his MS and PhD degrees. At Duke, while studying towards his degree, he engaged with the undergraduate student body as Teaching Assistant and Resident Advisor.
In the past, Can has worked in Energy Industry holding various management roles. Since joining the Admittance Education team, he is enthusiastically assisting young students in their endeavor to fulfill their educational aspirations.
Melissa Scheninuk
College Counselor
Melissa holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and French Literature from Columbia University and a graduate Certificate in College Counseling “with distinction” from UCLA. A native English speaker, she is fluent in French and Italian, and has worked across editorial, translation, and research in an international context. Prior to counseling, she served as a teaching assistant in political economy at LUISS in Rome, where she also received a research grant. An associate member of IECA and NACAC, and a member of International ACAC, she regularly tours universities and engages with admissions officers worldwide.
With solid experience across liberal arts, STEM/engineering, athletic recruiting, financial aid, and global university applications, Melissa brings a bespoke approach to each student. Based in Rome, she has extensive experience working with Turkish, Italian, and international students navigating the global university admissions landscape.
Austin Kopack
English Language Consultant
Austin Kopack lives in Scotland with his wife and kids, currently pursuing his PhD at the University of St Andrews, where he works as a teaching assistant. Although a California native, he attained his BA in Linguistics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and University College London, during which time he completed a certificate through TEFL Cambridge. He later completed two Master’s degrees at Gordon-Conwell, and courses at Boston College and Harvard University through the Boston Theological Institute. His research interests focus on the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein and the question of meaning, encompassing a wide range of fields including the philosophies of language and of psychology, metaphor theory, poetry, and cognitive-linguistics.
When not doing his own research, Austin works for the university as a teaching assistant, assists high school students with college admissions essays and interview prep, teaches exam preparation for the SAT, AP/IB English, TOEFL, and IELTS, and also performs language polishing as an editing consultant for an academic publisher.
Abdullah Yalaman
Professor of Finance, Eskisehir Osmangazi University
Abdullah Yalaman is a Professor of Finance at Eskisehir Osmangazi University in Turkey. He is also a Research Associate at CAMA, Australian National University, and the Center for Economics and Econometrics, Bogazici University. His own research primarily focuses on financial market microstructure, macro-finance, data science, financial econometrics, and corporate finance. Previously, Dr. Yalaman has held positions at the University of Cambridge (UK), the University of Tasmania (Australia), and the University of York (UK)
Ceyhun Elgin
Professor of Economics , Bogazici University
Ceyhun Elgin is a Professor of Economics at Bogazici University in Turkey. He got his BA in economics from Bogazici University and then subsequently obtained his Ph.D. in economics at the University of Minnesota in 2010. His research interests are in applied macroeconomics, economic growth, and political economics with a particular emphasis on the economics of the informal sector. Previously, Dr. Elgin also had positions at the Columbia University, IMF, WB, University of Minnesota, and Boston University.
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