Background and Experience

Eliza Yuen has over two decades of experience empowering young adults to realize their academic goals. While working with various non-profit organizations in Canada, including Pathways to Education Canada, Eliza supported underserved youth to apply and transition to college. From her formal roles on college campuses, Eliza offers experience at both public and private higher educational institutions in the United States and Canada. At the University of Massachusetts, in addition to her teaching role in Sociology-Asian American Studies, Eliza spearheaded the first-year peer mentoring program to boost community connections and campus culture. In 2015, Eliza was selected from a nationwide search to serve as a scholarship application reader for the Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholarship, where she assessed thousands of competitive applications from students across the country. After transitioning to a private university context at Tufts University, Eliza served as Senior Academic Advisor for the School of Engineering for six years, working directly with Jennifer Stephan to support undergraduate engineering and computer science students. She then returned to her home of Canada in 2021. In her latest role as advisor and administrator for Carleton University’s Graduate Research Programs, Eliza advises MSc and Ph.D. in Management candidates, having previously served in a similar role at the university supporting MBA students.

Eliza brings deep experience guiding students applying to college through Pathways to Education Canada, evaluating applications at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and through the University of California-Irvine’s Independent Educational Consultant Certificate program.

Eliza is equipped to counsel high school students with a diverse set of academic goals, helping them achieve successful college admissions results. When working with STEM students, she taps into her expertise gained at Tufts in the School of Engineering alongside Jennifer. In addition to her extensive knowledge of the liberal arts landscape, her most recent work at Carleton University advising business students helps her guide high school students eyeing a career in business. Having collaborated for over eight years, Jennifer and Eliza work closely to provide Lantern’s students with robust guidance and expertise in their college process.

Eliza holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology from York University, a Master of Science in Education from Medaille College, and a post-graduate diploma in Child & Youth Counseling from Humber College.