Pamela Donnelly

Founder & CEO

College admissions specialist Pamela Donnelly is the founder and director of Valley Prep Tutoring Services. She rose through the ranks from summa cum laude graduate at Columbia University in New York City with her degree in secondary education to becoming one of America’s foremost strategists in college admissions. With over 20 years of experience, she leads our team of highly qualified and trained educators offering in-home counseling and tutoring services for GPA support, test prep, essays coaching and more–both in-home with one-on-one services and via an EdTech platform we’ve developed called GATE. Her first book, SWAT Team Tactics for Getting Your Teen Into College, went to #1 on the Amazon best-seller list in Education. Following the release of her second book, 4 Keys to College Admissions Success, Donnelly has become a nationally-recognized media expert with both tips for parents/teens and political analysis of the shifting landscape of what it takes to access America’s colleges. She has been featured in and interviewed by many of the most prestigious publications in America, including Time Magazine, The New York Times, NBC, ABC, CNN and more. Committed to championing underserved populations, Ms. Donnelly is presently completing her PhD at Pepperdine University and writing her dissertation on College Access in the Digital Age. You can learn more about her on LinkedIn or her professional website, www.pameladonnelly.com.

Pamela raised 3 daughters while building 2 businesses and working on her PhD!

Bridget Barstow

Student Services Coordinator

Bridget Barstow is a secondary education specialist, and holds her Master of Education degree from Bridgewater State University. Prior to joining the Valley Prep team as Student Services Coordinator, she taught in both public and private high schools for 25 years.  She has proven outcomes in mentoring 9th-12th grade students, and enjoys guiding their parents through the college admissions process.  She was instrumental in the creation and funding of a Scholastic summer school program for low-level middle school readers, and served as the program’s Director. Expertise includes editing and reading/writing/teaching Latin. Bridget has proven demonstrable student outcomes for more than two decades related to strategizing GPA support, test prep, admissions essays, and college counseling. In her free time, Bridget loves to read and volunteer. She has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Pacific Ballet Dance Theatre, as a softball coach for Burbank Parks and Rec, and as a volunteer for the JBHS Vocal Music Association. She is a mother to four busy daughters: Hannah, Molly, Caroline, and Bridget.

 

Bridget raised her four daughters minutes from our Burbank offices.

Jonathan Cardinia

Administrative Assistant

Jonathan Cardinia earned his Bachelor of Science degree at St. Alexius College. Honors included Dean’s List and numerous academic awards and achievements. He is an experienced customer services professional with many years of work and training in the medical field before joining the team at Valley Prep Tutoring. In addition to enjoying providing excellent administrative support, he loves reading, traveling, and spending quality time with family.

 

Jonathan loves hiking with friends and spending quality time with his family.