Fit Education Consulting Team
Diana Rodgers, Founder & Admissions Counselor
Diana H. Rodgers earned a baccalaureate degree in history, with high honors and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, from Boston College and a master’s degree in history from Carnegie Mellon University. She continued her undergraduate minor studies in education at Harvard University, where she completed a master's degree in instructional leadership. Diana has five years of teaching experience at a suburban public high school where she taught social studies and history courses ranging from sociology to World History to Advanced Placement US Government. In her teaching career, Diana received the highest ranking of "exemplary" on her most recent classroom performance evaluation, a distinction given to only a small percentage of Massachusetts educators.
Diana used knowledge gained from student employment in the Boston College Undergraduate Admissions Office and through the Harvard Graduate School of Education course Policy Issues in Selective College Admission in her private consulting practice. Her former clients have attended some of America's most prestigious colleges and universities. While in graduate school at Harvard, Diana completed a year-long internship in the Admissions Office at a highly-selective private secondary school. In founding Fit Education Consulting, Diana combines her love of working one-on-one with students and their families and her passion for pre-K through undergraduate education.
Diana maintains Professional level membership with the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) and is currently completing her Doctorate of Education with a focus on medical school admission at the University of Pittsburgh.
Diana used knowledge gained from student employment in the Boston College Undergraduate Admissions Office and through the Harvard Graduate School of Education course Policy Issues in Selective College Admission in her private consulting practice. Her former clients have attended some of America's most prestigious colleges and universities. While in graduate school at Harvard, Diana completed a year-long internship in the Admissions Office at a highly-selective private secondary school. In founding Fit Education Consulting, Diana combines her love of working one-on-one with students and their families and her passion for pre-K through undergraduate education.
Diana maintains Professional level membership with the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) and is currently completing her Doctorate of Education with a focus on medical school admission at the University of Pittsburgh.
Alicia Evans, Writing Coach
Alicia Evans earned her Bachelor’s of Science in English Education and Spanish Minor at West Chester University, where she obtained the Board of Governors Scholarship and Charlotte W. Newcombe Scholarship. She earned her Masters of Arts in English Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. For six years, she taught World Literature, American Literature, and AP English Language at Esperanza Academy, a public charter school in Philadelphia. While at Esperanza, Alicia enjoyed helping students with their college application essays. There, she was prompted to earn her Teaching English as a Second Language Certification from Lehigh County Community College. For the past three years, she taught English at The Haverford School, an all-boy private school in the suburbs of Philadelphia. At Haverford, Alicia blended writing practices with visual art methods. At Germantown Academy, she will have the pleasure in teaching Science Fiction and Postmodern Aesthetics. Alicia believes in the draft-by-draft writing process, focusing on both process and product. She loves seeing a piece evolve from its initial brainstorm to its final product—much like a work of art. She is excited to share her love of crafting with Fit. When she isn’t teaching, she enjoys Crossfit, keeping her two children busy, and checking out new venues in Philadelphia.
Luqman Kolade, Writing Coach & Athletic Recruiting Coordinator
Luqman Kolade has served as an independent school English teacher and administrator since 2004. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and later received a Master’s in Writing Studies. Luqman has always been interested in the writing process and in helping and encouraging students to tell their stories through the written word. As a published author of various forms of writing, Luqman fully understands how difficult it can be to get just the right words on the page. Writing has always been the cornerstone of Luqman's teaching, and he is thrilled to begin working with Fit students on helping them to express their best selves on the page as a major piece of their college applications. This past school year, Luqman won the Rafael Laserna Award for outstanding teaching at the Haverford School, the all-boys independent school on the Philadelphia Main Line where Luqman has taught since 2010. In addition, Luqman serves as Haverford’s Varsity Track and Field coach and his familiarity with the college athletic recruiting process will be an asset to Fit and our prospective collegeiate student-athletes.
Nicole Oppenheimer, Interview Coach & Law School Coordinator
Nicole is Fit Education Consulting’s interview coach and law school personal statement coordinator. Nicole earned a bachelor's degree with honors from Yale University in political science. After college, Nicole attended Harvard Law School before returning to New Haven to complete her JD at Yale Law School. After graduation, Nicole practiced law in London and California with a year in Korea teaching high school history and helping with international college admissions. In addition, Nicole has served as an alumni interviewer for Yale University. Nicole recently moved to Pittsburgh and she is excited to explore her passion for education and college admissions through working with Fit.
Melissa Sullivan, Writing Coach
Melissa Sullivan taught at the undergraduate level for ten years before moving on to teach upper school English at an independent school. She earned her BA at Iona College and her PhD at the University of Delaware. As an Assistant Professor at Rosemont College, she was influential in revising their writing program, worked closely with honors students, and received the Lindback Award for Distinguished teaching in 2011. At The Baldwin School, in suburban Philadelphia, Melissa teaches 11th and 12th grade English classes and enjoys helping students use writing as a process of exploration, questioning, and reflection. For Melissa, the college essay process should involve self-investigation and careful preparation, but it should also bring opportunities to share humor, joys, and triumphs. She is excited to work with a wide variety of students through Fit, helping them discover new writing skills and ideas to support them on their adventures in the college application process.