Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Lee.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Justin. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Academics were always an important part of my life. The question growing up wasn’t if I was going to attend college, but where I was going to end up. Despite being raised by a single mother who worked two jobs to support my brother and me, she placed a great emphasis on receiving a quality education. I attended a Jesuit preparatory school for young men in Los Angeles and even though I did very well and remain involved, I wish there were one or two things that I would have done differently along the way.
As the years went by and my experiences within the education field grew, I realized that college admissions have transformed to extend beyond just grades and test scores. After serving as an Admissions Reader for the UC system for several years, I wished I would have received some expert guidance on how to potentially strengthen my overall profile.
I worked as a counselor at various high schools through the years, but realized that my assumptions and expectations of what a high school counselor should be were not completely aligned with what actually took place. Wishing I could do more, I accepted my brother’s advice of trying to work with families independently.
Within the first six months of this challenge, I was able to serve over half a dozen families privately by customizing rigorous class schedules and encouraged students to pursue meaningful extracurricular activities. In addition, I outlined strategic test prep and finals schedules and brainstormed various ways for these students to further their academic goals and spark their intellectual curiosity.
Despite being on track to becoming a tenured faculty counselor at the local community college, I decided to pursue this vision full-time. Premiere Prep was born and to this day, our team constantly strives to think of new and innovative ways to support the needs of high school students.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The idea of being your own boss or life of an entrepreneur is probably not as glamorous as some people may think. Challenges such as establishing and marketing myself with this somewhat new concept of private counseling or being an IEC (independent educational consultant) was not as mainstream or common as tutoring or SAT test prep.
Fortunately, I’ve been able to work with some amazing families through the years who have introduced me to other great people along the way. Who would have known that the wide breadth of experiences along the way such as being a college admissions reader, teacher, college instructor, counselor at multiple educational settings, and scholarship reader for UCLA/UC Irvine would provide immense value in developing Premiere Prep’s curriculum.
As I jumped over this first hurdle of securing clients to maintain my livelihood, I encountered the challenge of scaling the business from it being myself to taking on additional counselors. I’ve been extremely fortunate and blessed to have hired quality people who are both knowledgeable and embody Premiere Prep’s ideals of integrity, professionalism, and promotion of student empowerment. I attribute a lot of our company culture to the book “Delivering Happiness” written by Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.
Finally, pivoting my business model to what the customer wants is an area that my team and I are constantly adjusting to. Premiere Prep was specifically designed for high school students from their first day of high school until they graduate. In recent years, we’ve seen a lot of families joining during their junior or senior year of high school. It even got to a point where Premiere Prep trademarked and currently offers a program called the Senior Procrastination Package ™.
Premiere Prep – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Premiere Prep provides customized academic services exclusively to high school students to make them as competitive and well-rounded for the college admissions process. Our team supports students from the first day of high school until they graduate high school while meeting with them on a regular basis and stress the importance of constant communication through texts, emails, and phone calls.
Our students submit bi-weekly grade checks and set both short and long-term goals. Throughout this process, students conduct their own research as they create their college lists, resumes, and partake in mock student interviews known to be more challenging than actual university interviews.
Outside of the academic and career components, Premiere Prep encourages our students to develop soft, transferrable life skills such as critical thinking, time management, and financial literacy. The ultimate goal isn’t just getting accepted to college, but to thrive and succeed as they become more independent and responsible young adults.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
There have been many great moments through the years, but I personally enjoy the simple “thank you” and great sense of appreciation that students convey during spring semester of their senior year when they’ve heard back from all their schools.
We’ve consistently had at least one student each year turn down their “dream school” for various reasons, but it’s such a great feeling to know that our team was instrumental in providing them with the luxury and option of selecting a university that best fits their needs.
It can be an emotionally draining roller coaster to invest in a student for four years, but the reward of seeing students meet or exceed their goals with the confidence that they’ll thrive on their own is a priceless feeling.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5020 Campus Drive,
Newport Beach, CA 92660 - Website: www.premiereprep.net
- Phone: (949) 296-7599
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/premiereprepinc
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/premiereprepinc
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/premiere-prep-newport-beach
- Other: https://www.yelp.com/biz/premiere-prep-irvine
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