Robert is a Graduate Coach and a current PhD student at Yale University, where he explores the intersection of perceptual cognition, psychology, and philosophy. A summa cum laude graduate of UC San Diego, Robert finished in the top 2% of his class while conducting award-winning research on visual working memory, which led to multiple publications and over a dozen conference presentations.
As a first-generation college student, Robert’s path to the Ivy League was anything but traditional. Before his academic career, he gained a diverse range of life experiences, working as a baker for Disneyland, an animal wrangler for shows like Fear Factor, and owning an exotic pet store for a decade. These varied roles gave him a unique perspective on resilience and unconventional storytelling, which he now uses to help students identify the distinctive “hooks” in their own lives.
Robert’s true passion is mentorship; he has a proven track record of success in helping students secure research opportunities, scholarships, and admissions to top-tier graduate programs. An expert in high-stakes applications, he was awarded 15 merit-based scholarships, including the prestigious NSF GRFP. As a Graduate Coach, Robert specializes in clarifying the application process for underrepresented and high-achieving students, helping them translate their unique stories into the specific, competitive language that graduate committees demand.
