Dr. Carley Nuzzo is ESM Prep's Director of Undergraduate Mentorship and Graduate Admissions. She has a lifelong passion to help students realize their highest potential and achieve their goals.

Carley provides families with individualized and data-driven strategies based on the most recent trends and school-specific policies. Carley’s advice is informed by her distinguished and nationally recognized research career in data analysis and strategic decision-making. Through this proven method and her approachable mentorship style, Carley successfully guides her students desiring to attend selective universities to ultimately gain admission to the nation’s top schools for undergraduate and graduate studies.

As a mentor, Carley is dedicated to each of her students, attuning her approach to each individual’s needs and personality. She prioritizes forming close relationships with students and partnering with them to make the most of their experience through support and accountability, specialized expertise, and detailed guidance.  

Carley earned a full academic scholarship to the University of Alabama and graduated summa cum laude three years later. She then accepted a graduate scholarship to work with the nation’s top scholars at Harvard University. Following her tenure at Harvard, Carley was admitted to UCLA’s doctoral program. Her scholarly work there was funded by numerous prestigious grants and fellowships, including the National Science Foundation Fellowship. Carley has taught at UCLA, Loyola Marymount University, and Saddleback College. Through these diverse experiences, she discovered her greatest impact on students was through personalized mentorship. She loves helping students develop their unique abilities, highlight their distinct narratives, and ultimately realize their dreams.

When she is not working with students, she is most likely found at the beach with her husband and two young daughters, Isla and Nina. She loves to cook, swim in the ocean, watch football, and travel—often nerding out while visiting historic sites and experiencing different cultures.

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