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Malesia (Lisa) Fuller
Founder and
Lead Counselor
Hello, I'm Lisa Fuller. I am an Independent Educational Consultant (IEC) aka a private college advisor.
I provide busy parents and motivated students with personalized education and admissions advice.
My superpowers include guiding students to assume control of their plans for the future and helping parents feel confident and relaxed during the application process. I encourage families to clarify their goals and needs and focus on finding educational options that offer excellent academic, personal, and financial support.
The bonus of my work is getting acquainted with fascinating students. I enjoy engaging them in defining their goals, highlighting achievements, identifying interests, planning, organizing, standing up and out in essays and admissions applications, and applying to schools that match them.
Meet the Counselor
More about the founder
Before founding College Primed, I had an award-winning 20-year career with IBM in IT sales and marketing. After the birth of my second child, I transitioned from that career to volunteer at my kids' schools and with nonprofits that support youths. I also served as a recruiter for my alma mater, Spelman College.
My interest in college admissions developed when I chaired the Junior Summer Internship Program at St. Catherine's School in Richmond, Virginia. I interacted with college counselors in that role, helped students see their strengths to develop compelling resumes then matched and facilitated experiential learning, job shadowing, and internship experiences across various career fields. When some students reported a loss of attraction to a primary industry of choice following the internships, I applauded their self-awareness; I appreciated how such early discoveries could help the students pursue more appropriate majors and apply to match-fit colleges.
We do the best we can with what we know, and when we know better,
we do better –Maya Angelou
When my oldest daughter and her classmates applied to colleges, I asked them clarifying questions, offered application strategies, and edited their essays and resumes. I also supplied Starbucks drinks, pep talks, and lots of hugs. The concept of building a “balanced” list of colleges (from a wide range of choices) that best aligned with my daughter academically, personally, and financially intrigued me.
Hooked on the nuances of the modern college application process, I helped other families and became a QuestBridge mentor and a ScholarMatch counselor. I earned a Specialized Certificate in College Counseling, University of California, San Diego, and an Advanced Certificate in College Advising, Teachers College, Columbia University.
My college admissions knowledge, first-hand experiences, professional background in tactical marketing, and project management skills inform my work with families to achieve fantastic admissions results.
Since college admissions constantly evolve, I visit colleges annually ( virtually counts), attend weekly webinars and annual conferences, and maintain professional relationships with local child psychologists, educational specialists, tutors, and financial aid advisors.
I hold professional membership in the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), the Potomac & Chesapeake Association for College Admission Counseling (PCACAC), and the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling (SACAC). I serve as a HECA Regional Coordinator for Virginia and on the Marketing and Communications Committee.
Midlothian, Virginia, is where I live with my husband and Ms. Carly, a miniature poodle. I enjoy farmer's markets, acrylic painting, and visits from our busy daughters, the oldest is a graduate of Columbia University in New York, C'2019, and the youngest graduated from Johns Hopkins University, C'2022.
