Our Story
Cogita Education Initiatives, LLC is the result of a collaboration among educators from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Teachers College of Columbia University. We encourage students to be their most unique self; we are committed to enlightening and educating global leaders and cultivating change-makers among our new generation.
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Founding and Growth
Cogita Education Initiatives, LLC was established in Boston. Our unique educational model and operations have been recorded in the business cases of the Harvard Business School. The projects that students initiate has reached 16 countries, including the U.S., the U.K., France, South Korea, China, Japan, Thailand, Russia, and Colombia.
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Philosophy
- We believe the Most Unexceptional education is to empower students.
- We promote the educational philosophy of positive youth development and global citizenship.
- We guide students to be change-makers, showing their care about the world around them.
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Founding and Growth
Cogita Education Initiatives, LLC was established in Boston. Our unique educational model and operations have been recorded in the business cases of the Harvard Business School. The projects that students initiate has reached 16 countries, including the U.S., the U.K., France, South Korea, China, Japan, Thailand, Russia, and Colombia.
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Philosophy
- We believe the Most Unexceptional education is to empower students.
- We promote the educational philosophy of positive youth development and global citizenship.
- We guide students to be change-makers, showing their care about the world around them.
Professional Educators
We have a top faculty team. Our teachers, from consultants to academic advisors, all graduate from top graduate schools from colleges in the U.S. and the U.K. They have more than ten years of experience of guiding students. Our advisors have experience in the most highly selective schools and colleges around the world, are members of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and the Independent Education Consultants Association (IECA) Global Committee
Personalized and Comprehensive Growth Plan
We care about both the process and outcome. We provide one-on-one educational planning and counseling for students and families. We evaluate each student and provide growth plan in a comprehensive way.
Our Team
创始顾问团队
MARINA LEE
Marina has over 15 years’ experience of tutoring students’ all-round development, assisting with high school/college application and teaching academic English and writing. About 70% of the students she tutored were admitted into Top 30 high schools and colleges. She was born in South Korea and grew up in Pennsylvania. Marina’s growth experience enables her to possess a strong empathy for the challenges facing international students and new immigrants under the American cultural and social background. She supports international students’ rights in America. Because of her contribution, she received the National Youth Award issued by President Clinton.
Marina used to successfully establish an educational project in Seoul, South Korea. Her entrepreneurship story has been selected into the educational business cases of Harvard Business School. Marina is the vice president of Independent Education Consultants Association (IECA) Global Committee, member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the Overseas Association for College Admission Counselling (OACAC), and the Association of Boarding Schools (TABS). Apart from tutoring students, she designs international strategy for high schools in America, trains high schools and their teachers’ sensitivity towards international students’ cultural background, and develops support systems to help international students’ development in these schools.
MARINA LEE
Founder and Education Consultant of Cogita
Vice President of Independent Education Consultants Association (IECA) Global Committee
Committee of Harvard Association of Asian Alumni
Master of Education, Harvard University
Lecturer of Cross-Cultural Communication and Leadership at HGSE
Judge of China Thinks Big
Advisors
SIYU (NANCY)
Nancy has an M.A. in International Educational Development at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has always been committing to exploring the development tendency of international education, evaluation of learning assessment and international students’ all-round development. In the past few years, she has worked in the Center on Chinese Education at Teachers College Columbia University, New York University, Parsons School of Design at The New School, Institute of International Education (IIE), UNICEF and some other non-profit educational organizations. She has rich experience in international educational project development, U.S.-China cultural communication, international student cultural adaptability and academic ability cultivation, etc. During her study at Columbia University, she conducted research on Chinese students’ study abroad from various aspects including their cultural, academic, career, and mental health development. She has a deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing Chinese students overseas. Meanwhile, Nancy is devoted to social welfares and innovation. She is a member of the Citizenship and Social Innovation Seed Camp at Harvard. She grasps the cutting-edge consultancy and resources about China-U.S. youth social innovation by planning and evaluating several education charity projects.
SIYU (NANCY)
Tutor of Cogita
M.A. in International Educational Development at Teachers College, Columbia University
Member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)
Research Assistant at the Center on Chinese Education (CoCE), Teachers College Columbia University
Wiiliam Minter
William used to work in Peking University, Harbin Institute of Technology and Choate Rosemary Hall (a famous private boarding school in the U.S.) and taught English language & writing and history. During his work in Choate, he was the Admission Officer of international students and the College Consultant. Meanwhile, he is devoted to public welfares. William has established a charity organization which is focused on touching stories with positive community impact. He also produces documentary films to call for more people to participate in charity.
Wiiliam Minter
Founder and Education Consultant of Cogita
B.A. in Chinese Language & Culture at Oxford University, M.A. in East Asian Studies at Yale University
Advisors
Josephine M. Kim
Kim is a professor of psychology at Harvard Graduate School of Education. She teaches Youth Psychological Development and Cross-Cultural Communication Competency. Kim has rich experience in teaching in both private and public schools in the U.S., as well as tutoring international students to adapt themselves to overseas study/life and to succeed. Kim is the Columnist and Education Consultant of USA Today. She has also established her own educational charity organization. She is committed to Asian international students’ mental growth, positive mindset, identity recognition, family intergenerational relations and career skills.
Josephine M. Kim
Research and Academic Tutor of Cogita
Professor of Psychology at HSGE; Columnist and Education Consultant of USA Today.
KARL
Karl graduated from Harvard University, majored in Gender Studies and minored in Music and Chinese. During his high school, he took mathematics and science course of college level and achieved all fives. He also interned in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Apart from academic achievement, Karl is the leading role of the most historical troupe at Harvard, where he takes part in theatrical performance and communications. At Cogita, Karl helps students with their subject learning and standardized test performance. Karl also consults on students’ application essay.
KARL
Subject Academic Tutor of Cogita
Graduated from Harvard University, majored in Gender Studies, minored in Music and Chinese.
Breanna Johnson
Breanna graduated from Harvard University in Human Development and Biology of Reproduction. She received Harvard University Public Affairs & Career Development Research Scholarship. Now she works at the Dr. Campbell Immunology Lab at University of California, San Francisco. She has rich experience in tutoring students who are interested in scientific research and public affairs. She had four years’ experience of tutoring international students’ acculturation at Harvard. She also received the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies Scholarship at Harvard, and went to Peking University to teach and research. At that time, she had a deep understanding of Chinese culture and Chinese students.
Breanna Johnson
Subject Academic Tutor of Cogita
Graduated from Harvard University in Human Development and Biology of Reproduction; Now works at the Dr. Campbell Immunology Lab at University of California, San Francisco.
Mark Efinger
Mark used to teach public speaking and theatre at Phillips Academy Andover, the Taft School, and University of North Carolina. He has about 25 years’ experience of teaching. He is also the interviewer of Phillips Academy Andover (a top private high school in the U.S.), the U.S. Army and the Pfizer Lab (a famous pharmaceutical research company in the U.S.).
Mark Efinger
Interview and Public Speaking Tutor of Cogita
Taught public speaking and theatre at Phillips Academy Andover, the Taft School, and University of North Carolina
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