I am from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Anita from Brightstar Coach helped me tremendously. As an international student, I needed help and we worked through what’s app calls which was extremely convenient for me. She organized our schedules and with her multicultural background she understood what I needed. We did excellent work together on all my work and she knew how to help me to create unique essays from scratch—with Anita’s help, I was accepted into my top choice, Duke and so many others.

It has been a pleasure to work with Anita this year. The college/post-secondary process can be very overwhelming, but with the support I had; what seemed impossible became very manageable. Anita´s creativity and passion for helping high schoolers is a huge part of the success formula for her students hoping to get admission into their dream schools. I was accepted to Villanova and Babson, but I will be attending the University of Notre Dame, pursuing a major in Sociology. GO IRISH!

From researching colleges to writing enticing essays, Anita helped me find my voice and encouraged me to follow my heart. I can’t imagine my college application process without Anita’s support and guidance. With her help, I will be attending my dream school, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and I intend on majoring in Global Public Health. I was also accepted to Penn State, NC State and Virginia Tech. Anita works incredibly hard to help every student achieve their goals and teaches them strong skills that can be applied to future educational and professional endeavors. Thank you, Anita. xoxox

The acceptances I received from colleges would not have been possible without Anita. She is an incredible resource for high school students who are looking for help with college essays, organizing and breaking down the process, and so much more. She is amazing at brainstorming essays and was able to help me craft creative essays by her ability to pick out the best and most unique qualities in myself. She has an energetic light about her that makes meeting with her always enjoyable and productive. I never once felt like it was work writing essays with her. She really helps break down the application process which lowered my stress dramatically. Not only is she qualified in her work and her results, she also one of your biggest supporters and is a rock for you throughout the application period.

My daughter Anna had a very specific goal to study robotics engineering in college. She only applied to 4 schools so getting the application “right” was very important. Anita guided Anna to create essays that helped her standout, perfectly blending her community service and robotics experience. She also managed the process and deadlines directly with Anna, reducing stress for the entire family. The results? A student with good (but not great grades) and better (but not perfect) test scores earned admission to her top choice engineering school AND was awarded a six-figure merit based Presidential Scholarship. If your student needs helping crafting THEIR story and identifying colleges that are a good academic fit that will put them on the path to achieve their dreams, Anita is the answer!

I don’t think I could have made it through the college admissions process without Anita’s guidance. Whenever I wasn’t sure what to write about Anita forced me to think about my life in ways that I never have before, which is what admissions officers want to see in your essays. Anita is definitely the most creative person I have ever met. With Anita’s help, I was able to write outstanding essays that separated me from other applicants. However, the best thing I got out of working with Anita wasn’t any of my acceptance letters, it was that I created a lifelong friendship with a mentor who I will always be able to go to for help on really anything. I I know anyone who goes to her for college help will greatly increase their chances of getting into their dream school just like I did!

Anita is so much more than a college essay coach. She truly is one of the most creative and empowering people I have ever met and has pushed me to think about my life in ways I never had before. As intimidating as the college admissions process has been, with Anita’s guidance, I’ve actually found joy in writing about my experiences in creative and unique ways. Anita is not only a great editor and brainstormer, but has instilled so much confidence in me that I know I will carry with me to the University of Michigan next year.

I highly recommend hiring Brightstar Coach to help your son or daughter navigate the college admissions process. Anita does an amazing job of truly connecting with students about their strengths, interests, and motivators in order to determine which colleges and universities are a great match for them. She then helps students craft their stories and write essays that truly convey their unique qualities. I consider my daughter’s application process to be a huge success in that she stayed on top of each deliverable, her essays conveyed her unique accomplishments and goals, the stress level was minimal for all involved, and she was admitted to the majority of the Universities where she applied. We are excited that she will be attending Elon University next year and are so grateful to Anita for her incredible coaching!

Anita helped me to not only to be a stronger applicant for colleges, but also to be a better writer. I learned to purge the fluff from my essays and write about what is truly meaningful.

Anita, with Brightstar Coach was an amazing stress relief for both me and my son. Having a college expert in our corner made all the difference in the world in decompressing the potential hostile environment between parent/child associated with the stressful application process. Anita helped my son position his application to the story of who he is through his essays, extra-curricular activities and letters of recommendation. She knew how to make my son rise to the top by helping him make good use of his core values and helping him craft the right application strategy for his college wish list. My son is very opinionated and not open to others reaching out to help him. Somehow, Anita was able to soften this resistance, recognize the strengths in his personality, views and values, and turn all of this into my son opening up to sharing his interests, goals and dreams with an open mind. Amazing!! My son was accepted to his dream engineering school. I would recommend Anita with the highest level of confidence!!!

Anita Stockmans and Bright Star Coach exceeded our highest expectation. Our daughter is now on her way to her Highest reach school-after working with Anita before and during the application process, and even more importantly, Anita helped her to see and believe she is fully capable and ready to go after any dream she sets for herself! I can not say enough about the positive difference Bright Star Coach made for all of us- taking away the stress and worry of senior year decision making and leaving us knowing our daughter was in the best hands possible.

Anita was so helpful to me during college applications! She made a super daunting process much easier, and was always there for me when I was freaking out or had questions. Anita will help you to make sure the essays you submit show an interesting side of your personality are the best they can be. My favorite thing about Anita is that she isn't an annoying adult at all! She is very cool and I never dreading going to appointments with her.

Anita was an invaluable partner in my daughter’s process of applying for and ultimately, acceptance to the college of her choice. She carefully gathered information from me to start the process and skillfully guided my daughter through each step by getting to know her personally, assisting her in telling her story and clearly framing her goals. I cannot recommend Anita enough as her genuine personal investment in my daughter was key in making this process easy and ultimately successful.

I loved working with Ms. Anita when I was applying to college. She made the whole process of applying to college much easier, fun and low stress for me to understand and get done a long list of things. She helped me pick out the right colleges for me and taught me how to write in a way that would appeal to the colleges.

I’ve always thought my son is a really interesting kid, but it was impossible for me to explain why. When it came time for him to explain what makes him tick in his college application, he was equally challenged. Anita swooped in and took over. She asked him the most compelling questions and ushered him through self exploratory questionnaires until, in a miraculous turn of events, he told his own story. Anita was able to help him hone in on exactly what it is about him that sets him apart. This was exceptionally valuable for him in the application process (he was accepted to his first choice school), but also in terms of developing his self identity going forward. Anita is the perfect mix of smarts and compassion and I wish every child had the opportunity to work with her.

Anita made applying to college so much less stressful than it would have been. She helped me stay organized and find the college that was right for me! I will be attending UNC next fall all thanks to Anita!

Words can’t describe how grateful I am for Brightstar Coach. She instantly knew my story and helped me convey them perfectly and creatively into my essays. I was a nervous wreck going into the college application process but she made applying to college a breeze and fun process!

The college application process is stressful and demanding for students. With Anita’s counselling and scheduling, I was able to meet every deadline and submit applications that I was proud of. Not only did Anita help create sense of my deadlines, she also helped me clearly bring my ideas for essays into fruition. She helped me clarify my ideas and create well-built essays that were strong representations of my character, which likely greatly aided my applications. I am a naturally shy person but I felt comfortable speaking freely about my essays because of how personable Anita was. Thanks to her one on one counseling and the many hours she put in helping me edit my essays, I was able to get into my first choice for university.

Anita Stockmans is equal parts a savvy admission counselor, an energetic coach, and a high school student's best adult friend in helping to navigate and lead to a successful college admissions process and outcome."

Besides being a brilliant, caring, and kind person, Anita is a fabulous, thorough, and responsive essay coach and college prep counselor. She pushed me to think about my passions and activities in a way that no one else has. Because of Anita, I was able to deeply brainstorm and then easily put my thoughts onto paper to craft essays which were not only filled with heart, but incredibly clearly my own voice. With test scores and GPA's becoming increasingly inflated in the college admissions world, it is more crucial now than ever to have strong, unique, and thoughtful essays. Anita will most definitely set you apart! I got into: University of Pennsylvania, Duke University, Emory University, UC Berkeley, UCLA, University of Southern California, Carnegie Mellon University, Claremont McKenna College, UNC Chapel Hill, McGill University, and Sciences Politiques University.

Anita guided me through the essays - helping me to come up with original ideas and cohesive stories. She also helped me get admission and a scholarship to my top choice, Worcester Polytechnic Institute! Having Anita helped me to feel less stressed and confused during the complicated college admissions process.

"We both had the pleasure to work with Anita as we went through our college process. In a stressful time, Anita was thoughtful, enthusiastic, and more than capable of helping us to create original, great essays. We cannot thank her enough, and we gained a great experience and a great friend." - Teddy & Abby

The best decision we made in the college application process was to reach out to Anita! In the first five minutes of the first meeting with my daughter, she turned a dreaded experience into a process of self-discovery and affirmation. From there, she provided ongoing structure, guidance, accountability and cheerleading. I wish every young adult could have such positive support!

"I had such a wonderful experience working with Anita. I had already started working with another college counselor in my hometown of Los Angeles when we were introduced to Anita. The overall experience I was having with my local counselor was very negative and cliche’. Anita was a breath of fresh “positive” air. She managed to keep me on task and organized without the negativity I found in my school dean and local college counselor. Anita’s zen attitude and beautiful personality brought out the best in me and my writing! Of my many choices, I chose the University of Michigan!

Anita is so kind, encouraging, and reassuring! She is an emotionally intelligent person who understands both teens and parents at this crucial crossroads. She also knows a lot about the college application process and helped our daughter, Lia, make a list of “reach” schools and safe schools, based on her own knowledge and using online tools to which she gave us access. Even more important for us, she helped our daughter to work through the challenge of drafting the all-important college essay when she needed someone other than her parents to provide a sympathetic ear and productive feedback. Finally, Anita supported her in the decision to apply Early Decision to Washington University in St. Louis, and she was accepted. We are thrilled, and Lia is looking forward to going to her first-choice college! We would definitively recommend Anita’s services to prospective college students and their parents.- Sylvia & Robert Miller, parents

My daughter and I had the absolute pleasure of working with Anita & BrightstarCoach. My daughter felt comfortable and found her voice in every essay she wrote. She actually enjoyed the experience. I enjoyed it as well since all I had to deal with was a happy teen. This was a very organic process and took the fear out of applying to college. Lena was accepted to 8 of the 9 schools she applied to and received over 100,000 in scholarship offers. She was amazed that the schools were able to see more than just her grades. With the help of Anita she was able to show herself as well rounded and a valuable asset to any University. We would recommend Anita to any and everyone looking to ease the process of applying to college. She is fantastic.

Anita's guidance in my son's college application process was very valuable. She took the time to listen and brainstorm with him and helped him understand his strengths, goals and organize his thoughts. She was always available and promptly responded to any questions we had. Her coaching style made a huge difference in his college applications with great outcomes at highly selective colleges. It was also stress relief for us! I highly recommend Anita at BrightStar coach.

I never would have been able to apply to 19 colleges without Anita's guidance. I was able to write thousands of words worth of essays, when I usually struggle to write just 3 pages for an English assignment. Anita taught me how to reveal who I really am in an essay. I was accepted to 11 of the 19 colleges, and I am happy to say that I will be attending Duke.

Anita was really fun to work with and she made it easier to write my essays and express myself. From college applications to scholarship essays, Anita gave great advice for how I should structure my essays and helped me to find my voice. I got accepted into all but one of the schools I applied to, and I received a scholarship because of Anita’s help during my college application process

Thank you Anita for your professionalism, organization and your joyful attitude throughout the college application process. You were able to connect with my daughter and get her motivated and inspired. We couldn't be happier with the results. My daughter will study at the University of Michigan! With gratitude, Michelle

You can see the light in Anita's eyes, the enthusiasm for her students. Anita has so many gifts, but I think something that makes her truly special is her ability to relate to students, to listen empower students to find “their voice.” I was simply blown away. We cannot EVEN imagine going through this entire application process without her. If your young adult is having anxiety about the college application process,In our humble opinion, don’t think twice just get up with Anita. Just DO IT! Anita will make a potentially painful, dreadful journey appear seamless, and your entire family will have some fun in the process, as she is bright with a kind beautiful heart and dedicated. Thanks to her, our son Zac is pleased to report that he is going to College of Charleston, where he most likely will study business and become a (land) developer. You have enabled his dreams to come true, and for that we are eternally grateful. Not only did you help our son to find his voice and write phenomenal essays, but your guidance perseverance, brilliance and patience allowed our son to get accepted into 3 of his 5 top college choices.

Anita is not only an amazing and passionate advisor that puts her students first, but also a support system as she helped me and people like me find themselves in the messy process of college admissions. As a child of immigrants, I was able to deeply relate to Anita’s story and she guided me as I realized what it meant to be a first generation American and how my perspective is unique. She is so kind and dedicated to her work and makes the college process easier to grasp. Thank you Anita!!!

My experience with Anita was superb. Not only did she provide me with amazing tips for my college applications, but she also gave me so much confidence in myself which translated over to my applications. I would definitely recommend her to anyone who is applying to college!

Thanks to Anita’s help, I was admitted to Davidson College,my top choice. Anita is amazing at figuring out which of your life experiences would be perfect to write about for an essay, and then is extremely helpful in helping to polish the essays to make you stand out.”

"Given this was our oldest child, we were hoping to find someone to guide us through the process. Anita was amazing! She educated, led, engaged, and mediated our way through this stressful/confusing time, keeping everyone calm through out. From selection to visits to essays to acceptance. Most importantly, she connected directly with our son and helped him be his best/most authentic self, take direct charge of the actual application process, and make his own informed decision. In fact, we never even saw his final admission essay, but trusted them and the process, and it worked out amazingly. Anita is absolutely the best ‘college sherpa’ on the planet!”

Anita was an excellent guide throughout this entire process! She kept me focused and goal oriented and opened my eyes to a plethora of opportunities that I would never have found on my own. For my family and I, knowing that there was always someone to rely on and ask questions relieved our college related anxieties tremendously. If I had to do it again, the only thing I would change would be going to Anita earlier!

I came into the college process wanting to get far away from home, and thankfully Anita recommended that I apply to schools closer to home as well. Not only did she help me edit my ideas into properly formatted essays, but she also helped me stay sane through the process. When choosing Anita to guide me through the college process, I became less stressed, gained confidence, and felt more prepared. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING!!!!

Anita was an immense help to me during this tough process. She truly made me feel valued and was able to bring out the best in me and help me put it into words.

“ Working with Anita took the stress of the unknown away. In sharing her knowledge of the college admissions process, helpful tools, and sage and calming advice, Anita turned an uncertain time into an exciting journey. Anita’s keen ability to connect with my son Connor and quickly gain his trust enabled her to help him understand how to tell his story, share himself through his essays, and be confident in his applications. I remain in awe of Anita’s ability to motivate and inspire my son through the whole admissions process, from school selections, and essay writing, to admission interviews and decision day. We are so grateful for Anita navigating us through the college selection and admission process that resulted in Connor’s acceptance into his dream university.

Anita was a perfect fit to work with through a confusing and stressful process. Her creativity and passion gave me the guidance needed to help me tell my own, unique story for my essays. Her insight into the college search and admissions process provided a level of confidence throughout the entire experience.

Anita did an extraordinary job with helping me compellingly express my personality in my college essays. She helped me connect with myself in the process of creating a narrative from my thoughts, memories, and emotions. Not only an experienced editor, she is also a good friend. I am now leaving the North Carolina School of Science and Math to attend Duke University, and would highly recommend working with Anita to any high schooler who feels stuck or needs a creative boost with their college essays.

Working with Anita was the best decision I made throughout my college process. She was there to help me with my writing and comfort me throughout the months of work. She knew all the perfect ways to bring out my best ideas and I am so grateful for all of her hard work.

Before meeting with Anita I felt lost in essays, and deadlines. I went into our first appointment scared, and not knowing what to write about for my college essay. As soon as i met with Anita it was like the ideas starting pouring in. It was like our minds just clicked, and there was no stopping the creativity of my essays. There is absolutely no way that I could’ve applied to half the colleges I did. She helped me get organized, and was there for me helping me write every step of the way even when we didn’t have a scheduled appointment. I can’t thank her enough for how much of an impact she has had on my college acceptances, but more importantly my life. Anita will be a life long friend who I cant wait to come back home and visit. Thank you so much for everything you have done for me!

Anita was the perfect partner for our son as he applied to Colleges this past year. She created space for his unique voice to be heard, designed accountability timelines for him to complete, and supported him from the beginning to the end of the process. I appreciated her clear communications with him and with me.

After trying a variety of counselors, we finally found one that was AMAZING to work with. She immediately helped my daughter who has ADD hone in on an essay topic that was creative and incredibly on pointe! Anita was funny, smart, reduced everyone's anxiety and got my senior moving! My daughter got into a lot of amazing schools and I know she would not have completed even a quarter of the applications without Anita's guidance. All over zoom - it was fantastic.