Content Lead
Antonio majored in Near Eastern Studies at the University of Chicago, and has been on archaeological expeditions both in the US and abroad. He greatly enjoyed his time in college, as UChicago provided a challenging and nurturing environment, despite its reputation as where fun goes to die. His favorite moments in college include playing Tybalt in the ballet Romeo and Juliet, excavating the ruins of Ashkelon in Israel, and starting a DnD group that’s still going strong. He gained experience in education while working at the University of Chicago Laboratory School, UChicago’s associated primary and secondary school, and joined Ivy Scholars as a mentor and content creator in 2020. Outside of the virtual, he works with high school students as a guest artist in ballet productions with several studios.
Antonio has several roles at Ivy Scholars. He is a mentor, working with students to craft the perfect college applications; from activities to essays. In this role he works primarily with pro bono students. His most recent success is helping a student from Afghanistan gain acceptance to Columbia University. Antonio is one of the leads on Ivy Scholars pro bono program, and is helping to build it into its current form. Finally, he is the head content developer for Ivy Scholars, writing and editing both the curriculum documents we use with our students, and the resources you find on our blog. He is the primary writer for the Ivy Scholars blog and guides, and has written much of the copy on this site.
Antonio enjoys learning and teaching in equal measure, and Ivy Scholars affords the chance to pursue both.
“Children are our future, and will build the world we get to enjoy in our golden years; it is our task as adults to make sure they are well prepared for the challenges they will face, with the skills and tools they need to conquer any obstacle.”
College applications are incredibly challenging, and cause far too much undue stress to high school students. Being able to help them through that is enjoyable in its own right, and the wonderful people you meet are merely a bonus.
Fun Fact: My DnD group is writing our own tabletop RPG.
Antonio has helped students get into the following colleges: Caltech, Columbia, Harvard, Northeastern, Princeton, Stanford, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Yale
Alma Mater: University of Chicago
Based In: Chicago, Illinois
“All that is gold does not glitter; not all who wander are lost.” – J.R.R. Tolkein
Here are some of Antonio’s past successes with students. Click to expand:
Jane came to Ivy Scholars as an accomplished student with a passion for bioengineering. She had completed an internship in the field, and was a talented athlete and musician as well. She began working with Antonio on her college applications, wanting to tell her story right.
Jane wanted schools to be firmly aware of her bioengineering internship, so her personal statement was devoted to it, and how participating forced her to confront and overcome her anxiety. Fear is a natural response, but it is by facing and overcoming our fears that we achieve great things. Antonio helped Jane craft an essay which showed how she learned to confront her fear, and to succeed in spite of her own doubts and worries.
Jane applied to Vanderbilt ED II, and was accepted into their bioengineering program. Her academic strengths and skill with writing made her a joy to work with, and we look forward to seeing what she will go on to accomplish in the future.
Student R was a very talented dancer and a skilled writer, though she struggled with taking tests. Her extracurriculars were remarkable, with multiple wins in dance competitions, and many hours spent both working and volunteering. The goal was to help admissions officers understand what a passionate and talented person she was, in spite of her struggles with testing.
Antonio helped student R compose her personal statement about dance, to show her passion and drive and love for artistry, the ability to express herself truly. Her other essays touched on other aspects of her story; how she came to terms with her ancestry and identity, how she came to feel a passion for statistics, and how learning to teach dance in turn helped her better appreciate both the art, and her own skills as a leader.
While student R got into a number of great schools, including a large scholarship offer for Northeastern, she decided to pursue statistics at Fordham, due to the artistic options living in New York would provide.
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