Charles Lu
Former Director at UC San Diego, Associate Dean at Johns Hopkins University, and Executive Director at the University of Texas at Austin
Charles has led nationally recognized student success programs and reviewed thousands of applications at institutions including Johns Hopkins, UC San Diego, and UT Austin. A first-generation college student himself, he brings both professional expertise and personal perspective to his counseling. His students have gone on to schools such as Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MIT, Columbia, and UC Berkeley, and he has particular strength in guiding multilingual, multicultural, and first-generation students, as well as those pursuing STEM, pre-health, and research-focused paths. An avid traveler who has explored over 20 countries, Charles is also the co-founder of a nonprofit supporting first-generation students.
Ian Parker
Former Master Tutor, The Princeton Review
As a former Master Tutor at The Princeton Review, Ian Parker brings a deep background in academic coaching and college advising to his work at Collegewise. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Saint Joseph’s University and a teaching credential from California State University Long Beach. As co-lead of Collegewise’s counselor training program, Ian helps uphold the organization’s advising standards and contributes to widely used resources like the Common App Guide and student activities toolkit. Since joining Collegewise, his students have been accepted to over 150 colleges and universities, a reflection of the expertise, care, and individualized support he brings to every family.
