Our Team
Who We Are
Before John and Lynn worked together in educational consulting, they were pre-marital counselors at their church, helping young couples learn communication habits, conflict management skills, and practices for fostering deep connection and growth.
John Chen
Founder & Educational Consultant
John loves to walk alongside students as they discover their innate clarity and confidence while stepping into the world. In his own life’s journey full of pivots, John has learned to fully embrace the dichotomies of his interests and forge his own unique path.
After six years working as a CPA with PriceWaterhouseCoopers, John knew he wanted to do something more personally fulfilling. He remembered what he enjoyed most was coaching his peers at UCLA and PwC through difficult conversations, job interviews, and reviewing their resumes before job fairs. During his tenure as a data analyst and management consultant at PwC, he spent his free time assisting over 100 friends apply for college, graduate school, and medical school.
When his wife Lynn started teaching College Essay Writing at Cupertino High School, John knew he wanted to make a pivot. A product of Mission San Jose High School in Fremont, John is no stranger to hyper-competitive academic environments that leave both students and parents feeling stressed and lost. With the motivation to be the mentor he wish he had in high school, John focuses on wearing multiple hats with the families under his care, playing the role of encourager, expert advisor, counselor, and most of all, a big brother.
John’s been a college admissions coach since 2014, and is deeply passionate about helping students find themselves in a world that pushes and pulls them in various directions. Nothing makes him more excited than seeing young people transform into who they’re meant to be—in high school and beyond.
Lynn Chen
English Teacher & Counselor
Lynn is a high school English teacher committed to supporting the whole student. She got her Masters in Marriage & Family Therapy in 2018, and since then has been looking for ways to bring principles of therapy and mental wellness into her English classroom and private college essay work. While Lynn still loves teaching literary analysis and academic Essay writing, her greatest moments of joy are when she can work with students on a deeper human level.
For Lynn, the process of college essays is a beautiful intersection of her deep love of the written word, passion for healing and growth, and a chance to engage with students on a personal level to help them find their voice and discover their own light. The gift she hopes to offer her students is a way to tell their own stories that leaves them feeling seen, empowered, and uplifted. If there's one message Lynn loves to share with her students and others, it’s this: "Everyone has their own light to shine, and you are enough. Rest in your enough-ness and then go shine your light."
When she was practicing therapy as a MFT-Associate, she loved working with couples and family units. In this role at ABOUND Education, Lynn hopes to coach families as they navigate the rocky waters of high school pressures, learning to rewrite their rules of connection, while adapting to the pivotal transition of adolescence to adulthood. Hormones change. Desires change. Expectations change. Hopes change. Life changes. Through it all, it’s nice to have someone you can process these shifts with and be reminded that we are all beautiful works in progress navigating a sea change.
Sandra Violet Clark
Essay Specialist
Sandra Violet Clark helps people and organizations tell their stories in their own voices in a way others can hear and see them.
Sandra is a writer, creative content strategist, and cooking teacher. Her writing has been published in academic journals, award-winning blogs, and literary journals, as well as content for Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, nonprofits, and universities. Her favorite work is 1:1 helping people feel like a natural in their writing and kitchens. She lives in Northern California.
Bailey Benningfield
Essay Specialist
Bailey Benningfield is a writer who lives in Los Angeles, California. She was a voracious reader as a child, which led to her lifelong passion for the written word. Bailey went on to earn a BA in English Literature from the University of Florida, where she loved penning essays for her classes. Pursuing her love of storytelling and narrative building, Bailey moved West and completed the Professional Program for Screenwriting at UCLA. She’s been a writer and editor for a number of digital publications, such as Forbes and Ranker. She’s also written several podcast episodes for Spotify.
Through encouraging and earnest feedback, proven essay-writing approaches, and prioritizing authenticity, Bailey helps students’ personalities and achievements shine in their college essays. As a former student at one of Florida’s most competitive high schools, Bailey can relate to the pressure of meeting rigorous academic standards while pursuing extracurriculars and applying to universities. She’s eager to offer honest but friendly direction in the hopes of helping students improve their writing and gain confidence in their unique voices.
Trina Peng
Essay Specialist
Trina Peng has always had a penchant for writing from a young age, and often participated and featured in poetry contests and submissions for teenage websites like gurl.com (owned by Seventeen magazine) from 2000-2004, and qualified for State Speech and Debate for an Original Prose and Poetry piece in 2003. Her love for literature and creative writing led to a Bachelor's degree in English -Creative Writing & Education at UCDavis in 2008. Trina has worked as a freelance copy editor for various businesses and individuals throughout the past twenty years, providing detailed and innovative support for clients who need help with marketing materials, contracts, applications, and essay submissions. She looks forward to familiarizing herself with each individual, allowing their voices and messages to shine through their writing.