FELICIA FAHEY PH.D.
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Felicia graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.A. in Comparative Literature and completed a Ph.D. in Latin American Cultural Studies at UC Santa Cruz. She is the author of The Will to Heal: Narrative Recovery in the Novels of Latina Authors and of numerous academic articles. Her passion for learning, teaching and advising spans the Small Ivy Leagues, faith affiliated colleges, and both public and private educational institutions worldwide. She currently serves as a Director of Independent Studies at the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts.
Felicia has a unique gift for connecting with students and their families to facilitate their desired academic trajectories. With a solid understanding of the complex, competitive and stressful academic environment for this generation of young people, Felicia creates a safe, structured process and elicits the essential qualities that bring student applications to life. As a college instructor of creative writing, autobiographical narrative, and expository composition, Felicia's work is grounded in multiple teaching methodologies and current practices in academia shaping the admissions process, classroom learning, career development and graduation trends. Felicia is fluent in Spanish and has lived in Vienna, Madrid, Buenos Aires, and Portland (Maine). In her free time, Felicia does what she has been doing since college; she writes in cafes and follows the art and music scenes of San Francisco. She occasionally organizes public art walks in the Mission. Each application season, Felicia offers her advising and workshops to underserved students and communities throughout the Bay Area. Additionally, she provides comprehensive consulting to four selected students. |
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Testimonials
"Felicia, You have saved our home life and improved Charles' chances for a great college match. Thank you!" Radha, Los Altos High School
"Thank you for all you have done for David. You drew out the best of him." Janet, Mountain View High School
"Felicia was very positive and supportive to our children, and clear to them about the strengths and weaknesses of their writing. She reminded them to stay focused on their overall goal, and to make every word count. We were impressed at her prompt, sensitive responses to their essays, and how she sharpened their work to reflect their individual spirits." - Doug and Kristina, parents of Charlotte and David at Palo Alto High School
"Felicia was an excellent guide through the entire college admissions process; having her help drastically reduced the stress and uncertainty of it all. She helped us with the ‘parent testimonials’ that our high school counsellors required, as well as our son with college selection, essays and general organisation. Above all she worked with our son to understand his ambitions, interests, strengths and weaknesses in order to support him whilst he came up with ideas for his essays, writing them and adapting for each school. All in all we couldn’t have been happier with Felicia’s support and would wholeheartedly recommend her." - Cosmos, father of Nicholas at Gunn High School
"What can I say about Felicia? If it weren't for Felicia, my son would not be attending Quinnipiac University. Our journey with Felicia began when my son was a Freshman in high school. From our first visit with her, I knew this woman was all about getting to know each kid, focusing 200% on each kid, and truly doing what's best for that kid. We had visited another college admissions counselor, prior to meeting with Felicia, and what a difference between the two. I think what stood out from the start was the fact she didn't have a cookie cut formula for all students, that's what most of the college admissions counselors do, instead Felicia tailored a special formula to get my son on the path to college. Throughout all of our indecisiveness selecting between colleges, which essay to send, and the numerous re-drafts, Felicia was always patient. I think what stands out about her is although she knows what's best for the student, she lets the student make that decision regarding which school, which essay to send, and all the follow-up communication. She guides and gives her honest & knowledgeable opinion, but ultimately it's the student who makes the final decision. That's a rare quality as most of the college prep counselors want kids to follow their formula, which of course is easy for them, but not necessarily best for the student. Besides the fact Felicia became part of our family the past few years, she tailored a campaign unique for my son to reach his destination. And that took hours of time and emotional investment, which Felicia so willingly gave." - Dena, mother of Demetri at Monte Vista High School
"My son and I met Felicia for a college application workshop at a public library, where she was giving a speech. We both liked the way she thoroughly explained the process and highlighted the essay writing. I kept a flyer with her contact information and when my son realized that he would need help with his application essays, I gave her a call. We were offered the option to consult via phone or in person and we chose the latter. We were pleased with the way she effectively handled the short one and a half hours we spent talking about the essays. Felicia asked a series of questions to quickly find my son's strengths and weaknesses, and built off of these questions. She also gave very insightful advice concerning majors and how to maximize my son's chances to get admitted. Afterwards, she helped him edit his rough draft and gave quality feedback. Thanks to all of her recommendations, my son was able to make it into his first choice UC! It was easy and pleasant to collaborate with Felicia. She is down to the point and is very knowledgeable about the colleges' expectations and the nuances of admission. I highly recommend her service." - Helga, mother of Sam at Saratoga High School
"Felicia is AMAZING! I wanted to find someone who would take my son by the hand and walk him through the whole process from start to finish, relieving me of all the stress. Felicia kept him on a timeline and made sure that he followed her schedule so he was able to apply early to some of his chosen colleges. During the whole process, she would keep me informed on the progress he is making, and made sure I was always aware of what was going on. Being on a tight budget, she spent hours and hours researching colleges that offered the best programs for his major, as well as the colleges that will offer the best financial aid. Felicia is very sensitive to your financial needs, and will work with you in every way possible. I could not have done this without her and I would HIGHLY recommend her services to everyone." - Tonya, mother of James at Gunn High School
"Felicia has far surpassed my high expectations. She tunes into the student, and the family dynamics so that she can effectively work with both student and parents in a positive way. She is respectful, and can be firm when the student is not keeping up with promised deadlines. I feel that Felicia understands our needs and her suggestions are based on that understanding. She has expanded our horizons as to possible colleges, and motivated everyone involved. Everyone in our family thinks she is amazing! Hire her." - Susan, mother of Jason at Sebastopol High School
"Thank you for all you have done for David. You drew out the best of him." Janet, Mountain View High School
"Felicia was very positive and supportive to our children, and clear to them about the strengths and weaknesses of their writing. She reminded them to stay focused on their overall goal, and to make every word count. We were impressed at her prompt, sensitive responses to their essays, and how she sharpened their work to reflect their individual spirits." - Doug and Kristina, parents of Charlotte and David at Palo Alto High School
"Felicia was an excellent guide through the entire college admissions process; having her help drastically reduced the stress and uncertainty of it all. She helped us with the ‘parent testimonials’ that our high school counsellors required, as well as our son with college selection, essays and general organisation. Above all she worked with our son to understand his ambitions, interests, strengths and weaknesses in order to support him whilst he came up with ideas for his essays, writing them and adapting for each school. All in all we couldn’t have been happier with Felicia’s support and would wholeheartedly recommend her." - Cosmos, father of Nicholas at Gunn High School
"What can I say about Felicia? If it weren't for Felicia, my son would not be attending Quinnipiac University. Our journey with Felicia began when my son was a Freshman in high school. From our first visit with her, I knew this woman was all about getting to know each kid, focusing 200% on each kid, and truly doing what's best for that kid. We had visited another college admissions counselor, prior to meeting with Felicia, and what a difference between the two. I think what stood out from the start was the fact she didn't have a cookie cut formula for all students, that's what most of the college admissions counselors do, instead Felicia tailored a special formula to get my son on the path to college. Throughout all of our indecisiveness selecting between colleges, which essay to send, and the numerous re-drafts, Felicia was always patient. I think what stands out about her is although she knows what's best for the student, she lets the student make that decision regarding which school, which essay to send, and all the follow-up communication. She guides and gives her honest & knowledgeable opinion, but ultimately it's the student who makes the final decision. That's a rare quality as most of the college prep counselors want kids to follow their formula, which of course is easy for them, but not necessarily best for the student. Besides the fact Felicia became part of our family the past few years, she tailored a campaign unique for my son to reach his destination. And that took hours of time and emotional investment, which Felicia so willingly gave." - Dena, mother of Demetri at Monte Vista High School
"My son and I met Felicia for a college application workshop at a public library, where she was giving a speech. We both liked the way she thoroughly explained the process and highlighted the essay writing. I kept a flyer with her contact information and when my son realized that he would need help with his application essays, I gave her a call. We were offered the option to consult via phone or in person and we chose the latter. We were pleased with the way she effectively handled the short one and a half hours we spent talking about the essays. Felicia asked a series of questions to quickly find my son's strengths and weaknesses, and built off of these questions. She also gave very insightful advice concerning majors and how to maximize my son's chances to get admitted. Afterwards, she helped him edit his rough draft and gave quality feedback. Thanks to all of her recommendations, my son was able to make it into his first choice UC! It was easy and pleasant to collaborate with Felicia. She is down to the point and is very knowledgeable about the colleges' expectations and the nuances of admission. I highly recommend her service." - Helga, mother of Sam at Saratoga High School
"Felicia is AMAZING! I wanted to find someone who would take my son by the hand and walk him through the whole process from start to finish, relieving me of all the stress. Felicia kept him on a timeline and made sure that he followed her schedule so he was able to apply early to some of his chosen colleges. During the whole process, she would keep me informed on the progress he is making, and made sure I was always aware of what was going on. Being on a tight budget, she spent hours and hours researching colleges that offered the best programs for his major, as well as the colleges that will offer the best financial aid. Felicia is very sensitive to your financial needs, and will work with you in every way possible. I could not have done this without her and I would HIGHLY recommend her services to everyone." - Tonya, mother of James at Gunn High School
"Felicia has far surpassed my high expectations. She tunes into the student, and the family dynamics so that she can effectively work with both student and parents in a positive way. She is respectful, and can be firm when the student is not keeping up with promised deadlines. I feel that Felicia understands our needs and her suggestions are based on that understanding. She has expanded our horizons as to possible colleges, and motivated everyone involved. Everyone in our family thinks she is amazing! Hire her." - Susan, mother of Jason at Sebastopol High School
