Meet the Team

Lydia Burleson

Lydia Burleson (she/her) is an English literature educator with over half a decade of personal and professional experience helping students apply to their best fit colleges.

As a first-generation low-income student from rural Texas, Lydia has experienced firsthand how inaccessible the college application process can be, which has only further inspired her work to make college more attainable for prospective students. In the past, Lydia served as a pioneer on Yale’s campus empowering marginalized voices and becoming familiar with the college process, both as a prospective and current student. Her work in the Yale Admissions Office and the free college advising guide she created and distributed with the Rural Students at Yale Alliance further demonstrate Lydia’s dedication to making the college application process accessible and successful for applicants.

Her recent experience as an applicant and student at an elite university provide Lydia with a unique perspective in the application process. As a QuestBridge scholar and recipient of the nationally-awarded Elks scholarship, Lydia also has expertise with navigating financial aid and successfully applying for national scholarships.