College Counselling

Our Counsellors

Simon Lewis

Simon is a co-founder of UES and the Head of College Counselling. He divides his time between UES and Latymer Upper School, where he works as Head of International University Applications. He has previously worked at Wycombe Abbey in Buckinghamshire and oversaw the school's largest-ever cohort of US applications in 2019-20. He has worked in US applications for over a decade and has designed the college admissions programme at UES. Simon works closely with many of UES’s 40 school partners on their US applications provision and with the Fulbright Commission on their Sutton Trust US programme, which aims to widen access to US colleges. In partnership with the University Guy and Unifrog, he has set up international university discussion forums across the UK, shaping the national conversation around international applications. He brings an in-depth knowledge of the US applications process to the programme, including expertise in college counselling, standardised testing strategy, essay review, financial aid and scholarships, and application support. He has successfully supported students applying for a wide range of specialist majors, including architecture, contemporary and classical music, dance, and STEM subjects.

After graduating with a BA in Literature from Goldsmiths, University of London, in 2003, Simon qualified and worked as an English language teacher before working as a professional advisor and career mentor in the public and private sectors. His philosophy of advising is based on "fit", in that he strongly believes that students are most likely to be admitted and to be successful where they will be suited to the university's academic programme, extracurricular options, and campus culture.

Outside of UES he is a keen cellist and string arranger and has worked with Berklee College of Music’s Wadham Production Scholarship programme in the UK.

Martine Gagnon

Martine has worked with US applications for over ten years. Her past students have been accepted to a range of selective colleges in the US, the UK, Canada, France, Spain, and Argentina. She helps students with every step of the admissions process, from creating balanced college lists and drafting essays, to editing portfolios and researching financial aid. She is also the in-house College Counsellor at Wetherby Senior School and Charterhouse.

Martine received her BA in Spanish Literature and her MA in Translation Studies from Concordia University in her native Montreal. During her undergraduate studies, she spent a year at the University of Toronto. She has taught English and Translation classes at University College London and the Sorbonne in Paris. Her love of everything university-related has allowed her to teach and work across three continents, in three different languages!

Mikael Perreau

Mikael currently serves as an Associate Director of College Counseling at the Lycée Français de New York on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and as a part-time undergraduate admissions application reader for New York University (NYU). He previously served as Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at NYU, in both London and New York, and managed the admissions process for the degree-granting campus in Abu Dhabi and the Meyers College of Nursing and Silver School of Social Work at the New York campus. Prior to that, he was an International Admissions and Financial Aid Counselor at The American University of Paris after beginning his career in international education with a non-profit high school student exchange organization in San Francisco, California. He is a graduate of The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and, during his year abroad, also earned a Diplôme du Programme International from Sciences Po Paris. Mikael is married and spends his free time reading (mostly non-fiction), watching sports (mostly Liverpool FC), and looking for new recipes to try at home.

Natasha Sutton Williams

Natasha is an award-winning writer, composer, actor and journalist. As a writing specialist, Natasha's expertise lies in collaborating with students on their US college essays and portfolios, ensuring that these best capture their authentic voice and individual achievements. She has helped students achieve places at Ivy League and other top colleges including Columbia, Yale, Brown, Upenn, Dartmouth, Stanford, NYU, Georgetown, UC Berkeley/UCLA, University of Chicago, USC, Williams, and Babson. Natasha currently writes for the stage, screen and animation. Her plays have been produced at multiple London venues. As a journalist, Natasha writes for various national publications, including The Independent and The Stage.Natasha received a First-Class BA Honours degree in Creative Writing at Birkbeck, University of London. She also studied at Arts Educational Drama School and the National Youth Theatre. She is British Canadian and has an innate understanding of North American culture.

Kristy Magner

Before becoming a college counselor, Kristy Magner spent over 15 years in higher education, most recently as the Director of the Office of International Students and Scholars at Tulane University. In her university roles, Kristy worked alongside parents, faculty, staff to support students in reaching their educational goals. Throughout her time working at colleges, Kristy observed that many students do not fully understand all of their options for university study or how best to gain admission to a university in the United States.Her goal is to bridge this knowledge gap by guiding students and their families through the college application process to admission and beyond.

Kristy is highly knowledgeable about the cross-cultural adjustment process, both from her work with international students and from her own experiences growing up. She lived in India for part of her childhood, studied abroad in Mexico, and has traveled to six continents. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Colorado State University and her Master of Science in International Studies from North Carolina State University. Kristy is active in the New Orleans community, where she has lived for 16 years. She is passionate about New Orleans music and culture and has been hosting music festivals and fundraisers for New Orleans musicians since 2014.