Dr. Shawn Marie Garrett
∙ Co-founder and Director of Educational Consulting, GPS Academy Great Neck, a subsidiary of Linghang International Education Group, Inc. (private)
∙ Co-founder, Director of Educational Consulting, Long Island Scholars (nonprofit)
∙ Board Secretary, Co-director of Communications, YaleNYC
∙ Associate Member, Independent Educational Consultants Association
∙ Member, New York State Assoication for College Admission Counseling
∙ Leader, Women's Diversity Network
∙ Facilitator, TED-Ed Club of Long Island
∙ Former faculty, Yale, Barnard/Columbia, Stony Brook Universities
∙ D.F.A., M.F.A., Yale University; B.A., Duke University
Independent Educational Consultant
Teaching and learning are, in my view, among the most rewarding human pursuits, among the greatest gifts we can give each other. I firmly believe everyone, regardless of circumstances, should have equal access to learning opportunities.
For over 25 years, I've had the privilege of teaching and counseling teens and young adults, both in and outside the classroom. I've served on the faculty at Yale University (Lecturer in English and Theater and Performance Studies), Barnard College, Columbia University (Assistant Professor of Theatre), and Stony Brook University (Lecturer in Writing and Rhetoric). I am honored to have received the Gladys Brooks Award for Excellence in Teaching and a nomination for the Emily Gregory Teaching Award at Barnard College, along with other recognitions of my writing and teaching.
Since 2019, I've been working as an independent educational consultant, guiding students and families through successful transitions to the colleges, transfer colleges, and graduate programs of their choice. I help students, primarily between the ages of 14 and 25, discover their best-fit institutions. With younger students, I focus on supporting college readiness. I support students in developing a meaningful roster of extracurricular activities and mentor them in college-level research, writing, and speaking skills. As a TED-Ed Club facilitator, I help students develop TED Talks on topics of their choosing. Finally, I guide students in navigating application processes for summer programs, competitions, publications, undergraduate study, transfer, financial aid, and scholarships.
I co-founded and serve as Director of Educational Consulting for GPS Academy Long Island, a subsidiary of Linghang International Education Group, Inc. Additionally, I co-founded of Long Island Scholars, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to helping under-resourced public high school students in the New York City metropolitan area achieve college and career readiness, access, and success.
2023-24 Admissions Outcomes
Listed below are admissions outcomes for students I supported through the 2023-24 admissions cycle through Long Island Scholars and GPS Academy Long Island. Among the 32 students I mentored through the 2022-23 cycle, 29 are people of color and 10 are the first in their families to attend college:
Boston College
Boston University
Carnegie Mellon University
Case Western Reserve University
Cornell University (School of Industrial and Labor Relations)
Fordham University
Georgetown University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Harvard University
Hofstra University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
New York University
Northeastern University
The Pennsylvania State University
Purdue University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rhode Island School of Design
Rutgers University
Sacred Heart University
State University of New York: Albany; Binghamton; Buffalo; Stony Brook
University of California: Davis; Irvine; San Diego
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
University of Maryland, College Park
University of Rochester
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Vanderbilt University
Washington University in St. Louis
Yale University