Peter founded Ellipsis in 2019. His poetry has received a Pushcart Prize and has appeared in such venues as AGNI, American Poetry Review, Best New Poets, Harvard Review, Kenyon Review, New England Review, Pleiades, and Tin House, among many others. Peter graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa with his B.A. in English and Consumer Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania in 2017 and obtained his M.F.A in Creative Writing from New York University as a Writers in the Public Schools Fellow. Numerous students of his have been recognized through the National YoungArts Foundation, the National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the National Student Poets Program, the Foyle Young Poet of the Year Awards, Princeton University, the Davidson Fellows Program, the U.S. Presidential Scholar Program, TASP, the Coke Scholars Program, the Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) Program, the GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program, and the Bryan Cameron Scholars Program. They’ve been featured at the White House, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, the New York City Poetry Festival, and the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival, and by BBC News, the Boston Globe, Disney Channel, Teen Vogue, and the Wall Street Journal. In addition to his role as founder and CEO of Ellipsis, Peter is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Adroit Journal.

Alexander Castilla, Ph.D. is a college counseling strategist, youth leadership coach, and educator with over fifteen years of experience guiding American and international students to highly selective and elite universities in the United States and abroad. An authoritative yet highly approachable advisor, Dr. Castilla is known for his straightforward guidance, innovative admissions strategies, and exceptional ability to connect with students and families.

Dr. Castilla holds a Ph.D. in Comparative and International Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, where he specialized in political science and served as President of the Society for International Education. He also earned a master’s degree from New York University in International Studies of Education, with advanced, internship training in public diplomacy through the U.S. Department of State. Earlier in his career, his scholarly and policy work focused on international politics and identity, culminating in the publication of Re-imagining European Identity Politics in the 21st Century. His contributions to cultural diplomacy and security & peace studies have been supported and recognized by the U.S. State Department, the United Nations, UNESCO, and distinguished American and European universities & NGO’s.

As a college counselor, Dr. Castilla has worked closely with and received training from former admissions officers at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Brown, Chicago, Stanford, and MIT. He has advised students, helping them gain admission to Ivy League institutions, top U.S. public universities, and leading global universities such as Oxford, McGill and the London School of Economics.

A former sociology and international politics professor, Dr. Castilla brings an educator’s depth and a storyteller’s sensibility to the admissions process. As an Ivy League–trained communications specialist and published writer, he teaches students how to craft creative and convincing college essays that reflect intellectual curiosity, leadership, and purpose. Families value his emphasis on helping students find colleges that are genuinely the right fit.

In addition to college admissions, he has mentored students and young professionals who have gone on to internships and leadership roles in public service, education, the arts, business, and STEM. This includes the U.S. Congress, U.S. State Department, United Nations, Teach for America, Peace Corps, Oxford University Press, and leading Wall Street and Silicon Valley companies such as McKinsey and Apple. Since 2014, he has also served as an alumni mentor at Columbia University’s Center for Career Education.

Dr. Castilla is fluent in Spanish and has traveled extensively in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, and Asia. His trusted reputation and global perspective make him a valued advisor to families seeking thoughtful, high-level academic and leadership guidance.

Sara is a poet, journalist, translator, and college admissions professional based in Cairo. She holds an MA in arts journalism from Columbia University, and an MFA in poetry from New York University. Elkamel's poems have appeared in Poetry Magazine, Ploughshares, The Iowa Review, The Yale Review, and Gulf Coast, among others. She was named a 2020 Gregory Djanikian Scholar by The Adroit Journal, the winner of Redivider's 2021 Blurred Genre Contest, Tinderbox's 2022 Brett Elizabeth Jenkins Poetry Prize, and Michigan Quarterly Review's 2022 Goldstein Poetry Prize. Elkamel’s debut chapbook, “Field of No Justice,” was published by the African Poetry Book Fund & Akashic Books in 2021.

John is an experienced college admissions advisor with more than 10 years of experience helping students navigate highly selective undergraduate and graduate admissions processes. He is a 2009 graduate of Harvard College, where he earned an A.B. in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, and previously served as an interviewer for the Harvard College Office of Admissions.

John has advised students from a wide range of academic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds, with successful outcomes at Ivy League institutions, top private universities, leading public flagships, and specialized design and graduate programs. His advising approach emphasizes thoughtful school selection, long-term academic planning, and, most notably, the development of application narratives that authentically reflect each student’s lived experiences, values, and intellectual curiosity.

In addition to college advising, John has extensive experience coaching students on essays, interviews, summer planning, research opportunities, and competitive enrichment programs. Before working full-time in education, he was a Senior Consultant at Ernst & Young (EY), advising Fortune 500 clients on communications and training initiatives.

John is known for his calm, supportive advising style and his ability to meet students where they are—whether they are highly self-directed or seeking more structured guidance. Outside of counseling, he enjoys surfing, traveling internationally, and volunteering in his local community.

Lisa is a poet and college admissions professional. She is the author of Afterfeast, which was selected by Mary Jo Bang as the winner of the Dorset Prize in Poetry. She holds degrees from Boston University and Harvard University, and has a special interest in mentoring students as they mold their personal stories throughout the college process. Her creative work has appeared in Lambda Literary, The Common, and Kenyon Review, and has been honored with the AWP Kurt Brown Prize. She is Poetry Editor of The Adroit Journal and a 2021 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Best-in-Grade Educator, and she is the Founder and Co-Producer of Queer Poem-a-Day at the Deerfield Public Library.

Matthew graduated from Princeton University in 2020 with a concentration in Religion and certificates in Creative Writing and Humanistic Studies. He currently lives in New York City, where he enjoys studying philosophy. He looks forward to helping students engage in the journey of self-discovery that, at its best, the college application process can be.

Michael is a songwriter and editor from Los Angeles, California. He has been commissioned to create musical works for Starbucks, Netflix, Pulse Publishing, and others. After an accelerated five semester course of study, he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania. When he’s not editing memoirs for independently published writers, he’s working one-on-one with high school seniors to refine their college application strategies and essays.

Kevin grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, and graduated from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, with degrees in French and Political Science. Afterward, he pursued a JD from Duke University School of Law. Kevin briefly worked in the legal field and quickly found he enjoyed studying law much more than practicing. He then transitioned into international higher education, where he discovered his true passion for helping students. 

Kevin has over 12 years of experience in university admissions, at both the undergraduate and graduate level. He lived in Hong Kong for over a decade, where he helped local and international students with applications to undergraduate, Master's, MBA, law, and other graduate programs. 

As a former admissions officer, Kevin has recruited and reviewed applications from hundreds of students across the globe, bringing unique insights into the admissions process. His admissions experience includes working as the Assistant Director of Recruitment and Admissions for the University of Chicago Booth EMBA. 

Outside of work, he enjoys travel, reading, mastering the NYTimes Games section, and spending time with his partner and two dogs.

Margaret brings over a decade of expertise in admissions, essay development, and education to their consulting practice. With a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania, an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from New York University, and experience as an NYU Adjunct Professor of Creative Writing, Margaret possesses firsthand insight into what elite schools look for in top applicants.

Their clients have matriculated to Barnard College, Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Harvard University, Princeton University, Rice University, Stanford University, Swarthmore College, University of California - Berkeley, University of Pennsylvania, Vanderbilt University, and other top universities and colleges.

In addition to their admissions work, Margaret is an award-winning poet and editor. Their writing has been nominated for Best New Poets, the Pushcart Prize Anthology, and Best of the Net, and has received recognition from the Poetry Society of the United Kingdom, the Guggenheim Museum, the Kenyon Review, Interlochen Center for the Arts, the California Institute of the Arts, Tin House, Cave Canem, and more.

Coming soon!