May Hallenbeck is a Graduate Coach at InGenius Prep. As a Bay Area native, May grew up in Santa Cruz and completed her BA in Psychology with a minor in Ethnic Studies at the University of San Francisco. After graduation, she worked for the Making Waves Education Program, serving underrepresented students who aspired to attend college. There, she taught college readiness curriculum, led college campus visits, supported application and essay completion, and met with families in order to guide their understanding of the higher education system. Soon after, May moved to New York where she completed her MA in Sociology and Education at Columbia University’s Teachers College.
May later moved to Portland, Oregon and worked for InsideTrack, where she worked with students in a variety of institutions. Most notably, she was able to serve as a coach for international students who were attending programs through Columbia University’s School of Continuing Education. May’s love of coaching led her to her most recent role, where she acted as a leadership team member of the CAP (College and Alumni Program) college success program at Making Waves Foundation. CAP provided admission, scholarship, and persistence support to hundreds of Bay Area students attending colleges and universities all over the country.
May believes coaching is transformative, and she uses it to enable prospective and current students to reach their dreams in higher education. At InGenuis Prep, she focuses her efforts on guiding her students through the college prep process with strategic support. When meeting with students, May’s goal is to help them identify and connect their own values, experiences, and aspirations with the university they hope to attend.
