Rama Yaghi-Sifri, Founder & CEO
Bespoke Ivy originated at a YPO members-only “college prep” weekend in Tarrytown, New York, over a a decade ago. I had two daughters who were at the early start of a long, high-stakes race to the Ivy Leagues. Our family lived all over the world, immersed in global cultures and myriad education systems. My daughters had learned piano and chess, Singapore math and multiple languages. They had a lot going for them. And still…
As eight venerable admissions directors from the most storied colleges in the U.S. attempted to demystify their college admissions paradigms, the rising anxiety and tension emptied the oxygen out of the room. Parents and children, friendly and jovial before this session, began to appraise one another as potential rivals. The race was on, and it seemed daunting.
If you’re reading this, you probably know the feeling. No matter how much you think you’ve prepared for getting into the best colleges, it never seems enough. Yet failure to get into a top university just isn’t an option.
I hit the road running, learning everything I could about college admissions, applying the signature ingenuity, discipline, rigor and persistence I used in my global cross-cultural communications and creative strategy consulting career to my two daughters’ journey towards an Ivy League education.
A month of micro-financing spent with the indigenous people of Maya in Guatemala, two months sorting out pill cocktails for HIV and tuberculosis-infected children at youth health clinics in Uganda, ranking 10th speaker in the world at the ICYD in Oxford, founding STEM summer camps and clubs for disadvantaged refugee students at UN administered schools in Jordan, both my daughters learned early on to roll-up their sleeves to organize and lead meaningful social impact initiatives.
The result? Yara and Tamar attended Phillips Academy Andover, the top-ranking boarding school in the United States.Yara was accepted Early Decision to Columbia University. She is currently doing her surgical fellowship at the renowned Mount Sinai in New York City. Tamar chose Yale, out of a list of nine top universities that admitted her, majored in cognitive science and behavioral economics, and is a rising manager at a leading global consulting firm in NYC.
At a certain point in this long journey, I became the de facto college consultant to our extended family, friends, and their friends and families. As word of mouth spread, I started getting unsolicited requests for my signature college consulting expertise. I made the decision to merge my global creative strategy and college consulting expertise. Bespoke Ivy was born at the nexus of these two passions.
Our team of experts includes:
A New York Times bestselling author & startup advisor.
An industry-leading branding executive.
A Yale Magna Cum Laude graduate & consultant at a top global consultancy— our pro bono case specialist.
A Columbia University graduate & surgical resident at a world-leading health system hospital— our Medical School pathway expert.