Laura Gallop has worked with Paula Friedman and The Academic Match for the past several years as a writing advisor to high school students, assisting them with their college application essays. She enjoys the process of helping students transform a rough draft essay into a final version that showcases the student's unique strengths, passions, qualities, and character. Laura is particularly skilled at making sure the student's personal statement is reflective of his or her experiences, is grammatically correct, and is clearly written with the student's own voice.

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Laura earned her Bachelor's Degree in Social Science from the University of California-Berkeley and her Master's Degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago. In addition to helping high school students with their college essays/personal statements, Laura has also edited memoirs and small business marketing materials. She was a Senior Analyst for the City of San Jose where she wrote several successful grants and was the department editor for a multitude of written materials. She focused on youth programming, oversaw a city-wide afterschool homework center program, and worked with the Gang Prevention Unit.

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Laura also worked for the Cal Alumni Association, where her responsibilities included college applications, coordinating information sessions for newly admitted students and supervising the Alumni Scholarship interview process in Southern California. During her free time, Laura is a volunteer Deputy Commissioner of Civil Marriages for the County of Los Angeles and enjoys performing civil weddings in the San Fernando Valley. She served on the Every 15 Minutes Committee at Agoura High School, a biennial program that realistically portrays the dangers and consequences of driving under the influence or distracted driving.