Are you a senior about to apply to college? The Beatrice Martin Foundation is here to help!

Feeling overwhelmed by college applications, especially with the pressure to get into a top school? You’re not alone, and we’re here to help turn that stress into a clear, confident strategy.

At the BMF Essay Lab, we help your authentic voice shine through every essay creating a cohesive, compelling story across your entire application. Every edit is thoughtful, every session personalized, and every student receives dedicated support.

Our editors have walked the same path, earning acceptance to top schools like Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, UPenn, Brown, UC Berkeley, Cornell, UCLA, and USC. Now, we’re ready to help you do the same.

And the best part? Every dollar supports The Beatrice Martin Foundation’s mission to expand access to diverse books and stories for all students.

MEET THE EDITORS

  • Young woman with long black hair and a light pink dress smiling outdoors with several university logos around her, including Stanford, Columbia, UCL, King's College London, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, and UC Irvine, on a background of trees and water.

    Anais Lee

    Anais Lee is a rising freshman at Stanford University, where she plans to study Communications. She’s the founder of Black Writers of Tomorrow and has years of experience writing, editing, and helping young writers find their voice. Anais has won multiple writing competitions and was accepted to schools including Stanford, Columbia, UC Berkeley, Barnard, UCL, and King’s College London. She’s passionate about helping rising seniors craft essays that are personal, powerful, and true to who they are.

  • A young woman with long dark hair standing outdoors with tennis shoes and landscape in background, surrounded by logos of Harvard University, Stanford University, King's College London, Columbia University, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, San Diego, and University of California, Irvine.

    Mirabelle Lee

    Mirabelle Lee is an incoming freshman at Stanford University, where she plans to major in Communications. Mirabelle is passionate about media, education, and writing, and enjoys working to make sure other students have equal opportunity to education. She has been accepted to schools such as Stanford, Columbia, UC Berkeley, Barnard College, King’s College London, UC San Diego, + more, and is excited to help rising seniors get into their dream schools

  • Young woman in graduation gown and cap standing outdoors multiple university logos including Yale University, Harvard University, Cornell University, Princeton University, Stanford University, Brown University overlayed around her.

    Tasmeen Sheikh

    Tasmeen Sheikh is an incoming freshman at Princeton, where she plans to major in biological & chemical engineering. Tasmeen is passionate about books, applicable research, photography, and healthcare. Her experience in writing ranges from research papers to writing competitions. Along with Princeton, she was accepted to Stanford, Yale, Harvard, Cornell, Brown, and UW Seattle. She is excited about being part of a foundation that values equitable access to essay editing resources and looks forward to getting to know seniors through their essays!

  • A young woman with blonde hair standing outdoors in front of a palm tree and green plants, surrounded by logos of various universities including UCLA Bruins, University of California Irvine, University of California San Diego, Oregon Ducks, and San Diego State University.

    Lily Jones

    Lily Jones is an incoming freshman at UCLA where she plans to major in Neuroscience. Lily is passionate about poetry, reading, and helping other students find joy in literature. Lily has won multiple writing competitions and was accepted to many schools such as UCLA, UC San Diego, Cal Poly SLO, and UC Irvine. She is excited to help rising seniors be accepted to their dream schools with powerful and interesting personal essays.

  • A young woman with long, curly hair smiling outdoors surrounded by four college logos: University of Texas at Austin, University of California San Diego, Stanford University, and Villanova University.

    Faith Bryant

    Faith Bryant is an incoming freshman at the University of Texas at Austin, where she will study in the Plan II Honors program. An actress, student, and avid creative, Faith is passionate about media, writing, and policy. She has served as a volunteer creative writing tutor, communications director, and more. Faith was accepted to many schools including Cornell University, Emory University, Villanova, & UC San Diego. Now, she’s excited to help seniors craft hard-hitting essays that stand out.

  • A young woman with a braid and headphones taking a selfie outdoors on a sidewalk with grassy yard and trees in the background, with a blue and white bulldog logo and a large blue Yale logo.

    Julia Weston

    Julia Weston is a rising sophomore at Yale University studying Theatre and English. She is passionate about film production, performing arts, and creative writing. In addition to Yale, Julia was also accepted early to Emerson, Fordham, Pace University, Connecticut College, UConn, and Sarah Lawrence College. Julia hopes to make the application process a bit more fun, and looks forward to helping seniors tell their unique stories through essays!

  • A young woman with long, curly hair smiling, sitting on a leather couch in a room with large windows, with logos of various universities overlayed on the image.

    Adianna Von Wiegand

    Adianna Von Wiegand is a rising sophomore at Penn State, where she is double majoring in Political Science and Philosophy on a Pre-Law track, with a minor in Journalism. She is passionate about theatre, photography, books, government, and civic engagement. In addition to Penn State, Adianna was accepted to UMiami, Fordham, Syracuse, Florida State University, and others. She has experience as an English tutor, student journalist, and loves helping others find their own way of storytelling! Adianna is excited to help students write essays they can feel proud of while making the process as stress-free and rewarding as possible.

  • A young woman with braided hair smiling outdoors, with various university logos around her, including Stanford, USC, UC Davis, University of California San Diego, University of California Irvine, and Spelman College.

    Niah Maduakolam

    Niah is an incoming freshman at Stanford University, where she plans to major in Political Science with a minor in Theatre and Performance Studies. Niah is extremely passionate about social justice, advocacy, and storytelling through acting and writing. She also has competitive speech & debate experience and has advanced in writing contests. In addition to Stanford, Niah was accepted into schools such as Northwestern, USC, Spelman, Howard, UC San Diego, and UC Davis. She hopes to ease the college application process for rising seniors so that their last year of high school is enjoyable and stress-free!

  • A young woman with a bright smile wearing a colorful headscarf, white shirt, and holding a blue backpack, sitting outdoors at night with various college logos around her including Savannah College of Art and Design, NYU, Spelman College, and a logo of a lion.

    Madison Norwood

    Madison Norwood is an incoming student at Spelman College where she will study Political Science and Theater and Film performance as an Honors Program scholar. In addition to Spelman, Madison was accepted into Howard University, Savannah College of Art and Design, New York University, Hofstra University, and others. Along with being an actress, Madison is passionate about community service, civic engagement, and mentoring youth. She has experience in helping her classmates build and modify their college applications and is looking forward to helping rising seniors curate authentic and unique essays while having fun in the process.

  • A young woman with braided hair wearing a pink lace top, holding a black bag with a pink ribbon, surrounded by logos of various universities including Swarthmore, UNC Chapel Hill, Northwestern, Columbia, UPenn, and others.

    Teniola Adedire

    Teniola Adedire is a rising sophomore at Columbia University, where she studies Political Science with minors in Film/Media & Sociology. Teniola is extremely passionate about storytelling through theatre, the arts, multimedia, and advocacy. As an Associate Video Journalist for the Columbia Daily Spectator & a writer for Columbia Undergraduate Law Review she nurtures and develops her love for both film and writing. Teniola was accepted to schools including Columbia, UPenn, Northwestern, Boston College, Northeastern, Vanderbilt, Swarthmore, UNC Chapel Hill, and Howard. She is always eager to connect with fellow creatives, artists, journalists, and advocates. Teniola looks forward to helping rising seniors craft essays that they are proud of and tell their authentic stories.

  • Young woman in graduation gown smiling outdoors with a lake and trees in the background, surrounded by logos of Virginia Cavaliers, University of Mississippi Honors College, and Georgia Morehead Honors College.

    Mattie Ellis

    Mattie is an incoming freshman at the University of Virginia as a Jefferson Scholar. She plans to major in Public Policy with a minor in Spanish. In her free time she likes to sing, read, and write. Her essays have won multiple regional awards. Along with The University of Virginia, she was accepted into Georgetown University, The University of Georgia Honors College, and The University of Mississippi Honors College and Lott Leadership Institute. She is excited to help other students in their next steps towards higher education and looks forward to getting to know seniors through their essays!

  • A woman standing in front of a balcony railing with a scenic view of trees and buildings. Several college logos are superimposed around her, including Stanford, Michigan, Baylor, Stony Brook, and Boston University.

    Ivy Chen

    Ivy Chen is an incoming freshmen at Stanford University, where she plans to study civil engineering and computer science. Ivy’s passionate about mentorship, research, and advocacy. Along with Stanford, she was also accepted into The University of Michigan with the College of Engineering Scholarship of Honor, Binghamton University, and Stony Brook University. After helping several friends with their college essays, she’s excited to support rising seniors in creating standout applications for their dream schools. She hopes to be able to make the process less stressful and more fun!

  • Kyle Aspillera

    Kyle Aspillera is an incoming freshman at the University of Michigan from New Jersey, and he plans to double major in Neuroscience and Computer Engineering. In his free time, he enjoys reading, tutoring, going to the gym, and engaging in psychology research. Along with the University of Michigan, Kyle was accepted into the University of Southern California, UNC Chapel Hill, Boston University’s Kilachand Honors College, New York University, Northeastern, and many more schools. He is passionate about helping students find their voice through writing and has experience guiding others through the college application process. Kyle is excited to support seniors in crafting authentic and memorable essays, and he looks forward to helping them gain acceptance to their dream schools!