The Team:

Micol Guida: Founder/Tutor

Dr. Micol Guida has over 10 years of experience tutoring students in Spanish/French/Math/Science K-12. She specializes in SAT/ACT test prep and has developed unique strategies to teach students so they achieve the best scores possible. Her test prepping skills and strategies have helped hundreds of students raise their test scores and achieve acceptance into their first-choice colleges. Micol loves working with her students and contributing to their academic growth and success. Micol worked as a tutor and team leader at Milestone College Prep for 7 years and has established an impressive track record and reputation in the field.
Micol has an international background and speaks English, Spanish and Italian fluently. She was born in Lima, Peru and lived there for 12 years, she and her family then moved to Caracas, Venezuela where she obtained her diploma from the American school of Caracas. She was Salutatorian of the senior class and graduated with a 4.0 GPA. Immediately after graduating she moved to her parents’ hometown in Milan, Italy. In Milan, she obtained her graduate degree in medicine. She graduated from medical school with honors and only a week later moved to the United States to work as a postdoc in biomedical research at the University of Florida, Shands Hospital, followed by Florida Atlantic University. She is now the mother of two boys and has been tutoring in Spanish/French/Math/Science K-12 for over 10 years.

Lisa Carnevale-Santoro: Senior College Advisor/Tutor

Lisa Carnevale-Santoro is a Senior College Advisor with Over Top Test Prep and a Marketing Consultant. Over the past decade, Lisa has assisted high school students navigate the complex college application process through numerous types of services.Lisa has helped students gain admission into some of the most competitive schools in the country such as Stanford, Duke, Notre Dame, NYU, Boston College, Johns Hopkins, Vassar, UNC, as well as Florida colleges such as UF, FAU, UM and others. References are available upon request. Lisa’s son was accepted to attend Duke University as an undergrad, with her guidance and his hard work. Lisa has a Master’s degree in English and studied five languages in college in Italy. She was a high school English teacher in Italy for a few years and then transitioned to marketing in the financial arena in New York and has worked with world class financial firms. Lisa is passionate about her advisory role and is dedicated to helping students find the best college match. She enjoys working with both students and parents to strategize and establish a customized approach to the college application process.

Phoebe Cavanaugh: College Advisor/Tutor

Phoebe Cavanaugh Cobb is a College Advisor with Over the Top Test Prep and also works at St. Johnsbury Academy in Vermont as Director of Marketing. Phoebe’s talent is in writing and editing and she has helped many students bring their college essays from good to great. Phoebe has broad knowledge about U.S. colleges, especially those in the northeast, and is able to think creatively in building a college list.

Phoebe has experience in

Developing ideas for essay writing; assist with editing
Determining a realistic application list keeping “best fit” in mind
Assisting with resume writing and editing
Assisting with preparation for application interviews
Reviewing the Common Application and college-specific applications for complete and effective responses
Helping coordinate summer college visits
Assisting in applying for college financial aid, including FAFSA and CSS applications

Prior to her work at St. Johnsbury Academy, Phoebe worked in asset management marketing as a consultant and for various firms in New York City. She has worked in the marketing field writing and editing for 18 years.

Phoebe graduated with a B.A. in English from Barnard College of Columbia University in New York City. She is confident that her knowledge of U.S. colleges and the college application process can help families work through what can often be a stressful time for both students and their parents.

Zsuzsa Pusztai: Tutor

Zsuzsa Pusztai has a Master’s in Business Administration from Florida Atlantic University (FAU). She was a Teaching Assistant within the Information Technology and Operations Management Department of FAU for over five years and was responsible for providing educational support to students in different disciplines. She is currently a Program Coordinator at the College of Business Executive Education of FAU and is directly responsible for the academic career and progress of 200 students.
Zsuzsa also tutors mathematics part time. She is passionate about teaching, organized, knowledgeable, friendly and professional.
Born and raised in Budapest, Hungary, Zsuzsa moved to Florida to earn an Associate degree in Arts at Broward College followed by a Bachelor ‘s degree in administration at Florida International University. She is fluent in both English and Hungarian

Patricia Alessi-Rozzi: Senior College Advisor

Patricia Alessi-Rozzi is a Senior College Advisor with Over the Top Test Prep & Tutoring and also works as Director of School Counseling at a private school for gifted students in Palm Beach County. Patricia earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications/Advertising at the University of South Florida. In 2006, Patricia earned her Master of Education Degree in School Counseling from Florida Atlantic University where she graduated with a 4.0 GPA. She holds Florida Professional Certification in both Guidance and Counseling K-12 and Teacher~ Pre-K to Primary Grades.

As a high school counselor, Patricia enjoyed all facets of college advising including helping students choose coursework to impress college admissions representatives and enhance their GPA, assisting students in building an impressive high school resume, helping students explore colleges and apply to their dream and safe schools, editing college essays, writing recommendation letters, and assisting with the FAFSA and Bright Futures Scholarship application.

Patricia conducted numerous college nights for parents to help parents and students begin preparing for the world of college admissions early in the high school career. She has been the Duke T.I.P. and Testing Coordinator at her schools for the last ten years and is passionate about analyzing test data and helping students, parents and teachers discover students’ strengths and areas of opportunity. Patricia is also a firm believer in Multiple Intelligences and Personality Types, and helping students find their unique area of expertise to help guide their college and career choices. Patricia loves working with families to help relieve some of the stress of the college admissions process and guide students to the next adventure in their precious lives.

Maria Koste: Tutor

Maria Koste has a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and a Graduate Degree in Business Administration. She has over 25 year of experience tutoring Math and Spanish. She has successfully prepared students for SSAT Math, ACT Math, SAT Math and GMAT Math. She also tutors Algebra I, II, Geometry, Trigonometry and Precalculus. She likes to work with students in a way that they will understand math and they will feel that math is fun and not complicated, making sure they are able to apply what they learn. Maria is very passionate about education and is fully committed to her student’s success. Besides being part of the wonderful team of professionals at Over the Top Test Prep & Tutoring, Maria is also Site Coordinator at K12 International Academy and Evert Tennis Academy.

Christie Kafka: Editor

Christie Kafka is a Writer/Editor with Over the Top Test Prep & Tutoring, bringing two decades of editing experience to every assignment she tackles. With a B.A. in Journalism (with a News-Editorial concentration) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill under her belt, Christie moved to New York City and worked her way up the editing ranks of some of the biggest news outlets in the country, including Newsday, The New York Daily News, and The Wall Street Journal (where she earned a Pulitzer as part of the editing team that produced the newspaper on Sept. 11, 2001, despite the Journal’s offices being severely damaged in the World Trade Center terrorist attacks). Shifting out of the newsroom and into the freelance editing field, Christie has built a roster of clients as a public relations writer and editor, blog writer, and news editor. Guiding students to creatively craft college essays is one of Christie’s joys, and it shows through in the prose she helps produce: She deftly finesses the delivery while simultaneously allowing the writer’s voice to shine through, giving students a leg up in the competitive college entry process.