Learn More About Our Professional Academic Coaches

Meet Talandra.

Talandra comes to Effective Students with a history of impacting her community working with youth.  She holds a bachelor’s degree from Clark Atlanta University in Marketing.  With experience in the business world in retail and non-profit leadership, she understands what is expected of students in the long term.  Her experience as an innovator coupled with relatability to students enables her to lead them in solving the challenges they face academically helping them develop confidence to self advocate and direct their own learning.

Talandra specializes in working with student athletes in middle and high school as with as students with ASD transitioning to adulthood.  She is the designer and coordinator of many of the competitions within Effective Students.  She excels at hosting the Grit and Growth Mindset Winter Session.

Talandra enjoys cheering for her daughter (Tennessee Lady Vols Basketball Player / Class of 2020) and traveling internationally to watch her daughter play.  She also enjoys dining out, relaxing, traveling and laughing with her close friends and family.

Meet Jennifer. Jennifer is a native of Iowa who moved to Georgia in 2018.  She comes to Effective Students with 22 years of experience in education. First in early childhood education as director of a pre-K educational center, which inspired her passion for students and children with learning differences.  She moved into special education serving students in preschool through elementary in both with inclusive and integrated elementary K through 6th grade for a total of 16 years. After moving to Georgia she began serving her community by volunteering at Chastain Horse Park in the Hippotherapy program and working with teens in High School ministry at Mount Paran Church. 

Jennifer is known for her consistency and persistence with students who struggle with motivation.  She has worked with two students featured in the Student Spotlight.

Her experience of raising three children with different learning profiles and working in education has made her passionate about supporting our youth to be independent, successful, and confident young people. 

Meet Autumn.

Autumn comes to Effective Students with a history of working with students for over 10 years.  She is a Registered Behavioral Technician with the BACB with experience working with children in the home, school, afterschool, and clinical setting. Autumn is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree with a major in Sociology and a minor in Psychology at Georgia State University. She plans to go on to get her doctorate in Neuropsychology and open up her own pediatric practice. In her free time, she enjoys playing soccer, skateboarding, and making music. 

Coaching with Autumn typically consists of 1-2 rapport building sessions to get a baseline of her clients’ needs and to build trust. Sessions after that are focused on building skills such as study skills, time management, and impulse control, depending on each student’s needs. In each session, she prioritizes coordinating intervention methods with each student’s parent to ensure that techniques being used in coaching are able to translate to their home and school environments.

Coach Autumn is equipped to work with a wide range of students from those working in a competitive academic environment as well as those with multiple learning differences such as ASD and ADHD.  She is one of the teachers of the Grit and Growth Mindset Summer Camp.

Meet Julianne.  Julianne is a Learning Specialist with 12 years of experience in education. During her career she has worked in a variety of school settings with students ranging from Kindergarten to High School.   She has a passion for identifying the missing pieces in students’ learning and implementing efficient, evidence-based interventions, while not forgetting to have fun along the way. 

Julianne has experience in both public and private school settings as a Learning Specialist, currently at The Lovett School in Atlanta, GA. She works with a variety of students, both with and without identified learning disabilities both on improving skills and supporting and coaching executive functioning.

Julianne received her Bachelor of Arts with a focus in Elementary Education from Wheelock College (now part of Boston University) in Boston and a Master of Arts in Special Education from Claremont Graduate University. She has training in the Orton-Gillingham Approach and Multisensory Math.

Julianne excels at working with students at the elementary school level, those with learning differences  as well as students transitioning into middle and high school.  She is one of the teachers of the Grit and Growth Mindset Summer Camp.

Meet Alyssa. Alyssa is a South Georgia native and recent graduate of Kennesaw State University with a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and Marketing. Alyssa comes to Effective Students with a history working with small businesses to help achieve their PR and marketing goals. She is passionate about client services, and with a step brother who lives with autism, Alyssa strives to ensure our families have access to the resources they need to help their students succeed to their highest ability. In her free time, Alyssa works as an event coordinator and enjoys working concerts and festivals with her friends at Live Nation around Atlanta. 

Meet Ashley.  Ashley comes to us with over a decade of expertise as a high school science teacher. She currently works in higher education and has experience as a college academic coach. Ashley also has a Master’s degree in Youth Development from UIC and has been a soccer coach and camp counselor. Ashley is committed to education and supporting students to build skills to be successful. When Ashley is not working, you can find her walking with her dog in a nature preserve.

Ashley is the co-teacher of and contributor to the Effective College Connection. She works with college students around the country as they seek to master their time and use all of the resources available to them at their universities.

Meet Beth. Beth is a retired professional ballerina who has a passion for coaching, learning, and positive development. She is a native of Atlanta and attended Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School. While in high school, she began her professional ballet track while balancing the pressures of a highly competitive academic environment. At the age of 17, Beth started her professional ballet career. During her 13-year career, she danced with companies in Florida, Missouri, and California.

Beth has ten years of teaching experience and was the Principal Instructor at Central West Ballet Academy for seven years. Her students have earned coveted spots at prestigious programs such as Harvard, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, and the School of Philadelphia Ballet. Over the years, she has worked with students ages 10 to 18 from diverse backgrounds. Her passion as an instructor is to utilize evidence-based training pedagogy while implementing a positive mindset and coping strategies.

Currently, Beth is completing her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology at Georgia State University. Since beginning her college career, she has maintained a 4.0 GPA while balancing her professional ballet and teaching careers. Beth has also earned her place on the President’s list every semester she has attended, won the Biology Student of the Semester award for 2022, and recently earned the GSU Achievement Scholarship for her academic achievements. She plans to continue her education to attain
her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology.

Meet Marian.  Marian holds a B.A. in Psychology from Hampton University where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. She is originally from Philadelphia, PA and moved to Georgia in 2021. Marian is a product of a family of educators; a father who is a K-8 School Principal, a mother who is a Professional Learning Specialist with over 15 years in the classroom, and an older brother who is a University Professor. 

Marian herself, comes to Effective Students with over 7 years of experience working with students in grades K-12, both inside and outside of the classroom as an Academic and Program Coordinator. She has experience working with the youth in non-profit organizations, public and private institutions. She excels with students who are learning to manage the demands of both academic and extracurricular activities such as sports and performing arts. She is passionate about developing and bringing forth equitable practices for students to thrive in their environment!

When Marian is not working, She is exercising on the Beltline with her Puppy, serving with her Church’s Music Ministry as a songstress, or spending quality time with her Sorority sisters. 

Meet Deondrick.  Deondrick comes from a military family, being born in Ansbach, Germany and growing up in Fayetteville, NC. He attended Norfolk State University in Virginia, where he marched in the Spartan Legion Band (on trumpet, trombone, and as Drum Major), and graduated with a B.S in Chemistry.

After moving to Georgia in 2013 and he worked at a Medical Device Lab before returning to earn his graduate degree in 2015 obtaining a Masters degree from Kennesaw State University in Chemistry.  Since 2016, Deondrick has served a high school science educator who loves helping students achieve their goals, find a way to belong in areas that interest them.  While teaching, he has coached and mentored students in Esports by starting the Esports teams during the pandemic and as a Mentor for My Brother’s Keeper.

In his free time Deondrick can be found producing music, watching space documentaries, taking inventory of collections, or competing in video games.  With a love for science and animals, he also takes time to care for his two saltwater tanks and three labradoodles.

Meet Charles.  A Nashville, TN native, Charles joins Effective Students from Charlotte, North Carolina where he graduated from Queens University of Charlotte with a BBA and a concentration in Marketing.  As a student athlete at Queens, Charles competed for their D1 rugby team – Go Royals!

Post graduation and prior to moving to Georgia, Charles served as a youth rugby coach while he also working as an academic advisor for his alma mater’s rugby program.   Charles is passionate about helping students achieve their goals and working with them to master their individual learning style. He has experience mentoring aspiring student athletes in their college search, as well as helping college athletes find how their passion translates to the workplace.

In his free time, Charles can be found coaching youth rugby, mountain biking, or cooking up a new recipe.