White Plains, New York

This section will tell you a little about the people who make up Collegewise. If you'd like to meet them in person, just contact us.

Alex Weiner

Owner and Head Counselor of Collegewise - North White Plains

Alex majored in American civilization at Brown University, suffering much heckling from friends and family's not-so-witty bon mot, "Isn't that a contradiction in terms?" He shrugged off peoples' concerns and continued hobnobbing with celebrity students of that era (Late 1980s). Since opening Collegewise New York in 2001, his office has helped over 500 students apply and get accepted to the right colleges. He is a much sought after SAT and ACT tutor and is delighted to partner with the JCC of Mid-Westchester to offer small group classes.  ACT prep classes for the Spring 2012 exams are registering now.  He is a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the New York State Association of College Admissions Counselors (NYSACAC), and the Westchester/Putnam/Rockland Counseling Association (WPRCA). While other kids spent their middle and high school years playing baseball or practicing the clarinet, Alex sat in his room memorizing the World Book Encyclopedia and the Oxford American Dictionary. Mr. Weiner also proudly wields an MBA from the Columbia Business School and a Master's of Arts in Teaching from Stony Brook University. He has his Permanent Certification from the New York State Department of Education in multiple subjects for grade levels 7 - 12.

Sarah White

College Counselor

Sarah has been participating in higher education since birth: she was, according to family lore, born at UVA's University Teaching Hospital surrounded by 30 medical students.  Approximately 18 years later, she attended Skidmore College where she worked as a tour guide for the admissions office.  During this time Sarah sustained only one walking-backwards-related-injury.  She also worked as an admissions interviewer. Sarah completed a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the University at Albany, which, besides providing a nifty advanced  degree, allowed her to stay at school for many, many more years.  Later she worked as an academic advisor at Manhattan College before moving to the 'burbs and focusing on raising a family.  When she earned college admissions counseling certification from the UC Irvine Extension program, her little kids thought it was quite a hoot that mommy had homework.  That's precisely when she would feed them porridge and steamed rutabagas for dinner. In her more well-rounded moments she spends time reading for fun, weeding her vegetable garden, researching recipes for whichever vegetables happen to grow, listening to show tunes (aka watching Glee), and practicing karate on students and families who insist on applying to all the Ivies.  She is a member of NACAC, NYSACAC, and WRPCA and is thrilled to counsel Collegewise students.

Kate Bonnem

ESSAY SPECIALIST

Kate graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in History. She played varsity soccer, got injured, and then joined the sailing team. After college, eschewing law school left her so many career options that she felt compelled to try each in turn. She started out in her native Washington, D.C. but soon grew tired of politics and her hometown. Eventually she landed in consulting at McKinsey & Co. in New York, where she was a knowledge manager for the organization practice. She could tell you what her title meant, but then she’d have to kill you.

Kate discovered her talent for college essay writing accidentally, when her own personal statement, which tackled the problem of what to write about head on, was published in a 1990 book whose good advice she didn’t follow: "Looking Beyond the Ivy League," by Loren Pope. She was then sought after by friends and family members to help with their college and graduate school essays, their theses and books, her bosses’ and colleagues’ written work, her dog’s autobiography, the pope’s recent encyclical, and the State of the Union address. She gave up all those glories, real and imagined, in order to raise her three kids, who often express their gratitude for her dedication and sacrifice. During her copious free time she reads, writes, plays tennis and the piano, and tries to avoid cooking. She has recently trained her kids to fend for themselves so that she can get out of the house more.  Last year she coached her daughter’s soccer team.  Kate is pleased to toil with Collegewise as an Essay Specialist.

Breda Malfesi

College Counselor

Breda (rhymes with "need a," "feed a," or even "read a,") joined Collegewise NY in 2007 when she decided it was time to "graduate" after a long rewarding career teaching English in the White Plains School District. She has a bachelor of arts in sociology and education, a masters of science in reading from Hunter College and a certification in college admissions counseling from UCLA. She is also a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the New York State Association of College Admissions Counselors (NYSACAC), and the Westchester/Putnam/Rockland Counseling Association (WPRCA). When she's not garnering membership in various acronym-summarized educational organizations, she also volunteers her time at College Summit, a national non-profit group dedicated to helping under-resourced students apply to college. Breda has traveled extensively, having logged the usual 25,000 miles on a "round the world" journey. In fact, Breda has crossed the International Date Line so many times, she is actually younger now than before she began her travels.

Jessica DeDomenico

College Counselor

As valedictorian of her high school class, and someone who relished school excessively, Jessica found it difficult to officially graduate from high school. But she did, and moved on with her life.  She is a 2000 graduate of the University of Virginia where she majored in psychology. minored in art history, and also met her husband.  After four great years in the quintessential college town, Jessica moved to the “Big Apple” for graduate school and a change of scenery.   So with 18 consecutive years of being a student under her belt, and a Master’s in Counseling Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University in hand, it’s no surprise that she jumped back into school where she became a high school guidance counselor.  Jessica has a combined five years of school counseling experience from Rye High School and Mamaroneck High School.  She has her New York State Permanent Certification in School Counseling and she earned tenure in the Mamaroneck School District.  Jessica recently left Mamaroneck to care for her infant and to join the Collegewise team.  She is a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the New York State Association of College Admissions Counselors (NYSACAC), and the Westchester/Putnam/Rockland Counseling Association (WPRCA).  That's a lot of acronyms for just one person. 

Lynn Zerbib

college counselor

Lynn graduated from Yale University with a degree in American Studies and received her MBA from Columbia.  At Yale, she was captain of the women’s tennis team and was Yale’s first ever women’s tennis player to be named “All Ivy” four years running.  She attended Mamaroneck High School (where she played on the boys’ tennis team) and earned high school celebrity status when, on the morning of her Calculus AP exam, she was the 95th caller on WPLJ and won a trip to London to see U2 in concert.

After graduation, Lynn went to work at Court TV, where she was the network’s spokesperson during the O.J. Simpson trial and in charge of all media relations.  After business school, she managed marketing for ABC’s first interactive TV platform during coverage of Sunday Night Football, the Oscars, and the presidential election.  

After settling back in her hometown of Larchmont to raise her three kids, Lynn found herself helping family and friends with their applications to college, summer internships and private schools.  She guided a student from London through the U.S. college admissions process and realized that she could finally put all of her marketing experience to good use as a college counselor.  She is a member of National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC, the New York State Association of College Admissions Counselors (NYSACAC), and the Westchester-Putnam-Rockland Counseling Association (WPRCA).