Atreyi Saha

Atreyi grew up wanting to be a fashion designer because she wanted to help people feel like the best versions of themselves. This desire has shaped everything she has pursued since. 

After high school, Atreyi studied neuroscience at Mount Holyoke College before conducting bench and clinical research at the National Institutes of Health and Massachusetts General Hospital, respectively. She then pursued medical training at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, where her favorite moments were spent listening to and supporting patients from diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Driven by questions about why certain communities suffer disproportionately, she studied medical anthropology at SOAS to explore how culture, power, and systems shape mental health.

During the last five years, Atreyi has worked with 60+ students on college and graduate school applications by helping them craft personal statements and supplemental essays that are authentic and engaging. She brings curiosity and patience to every session by asking open-ended questions, creating space for reflection, and helping students identify what they value, what has shaped them, and how to say it in a way that sounds like them.

Recently, for example, Atreyi was working with Maria, a student applying to occupational therapy programs. Maria had years of hands-on experience and a clear vision for the kind of practitioner she hoped to become, but her personal statement did not reflect her warm and confident personality. Notably, Maria’s essay highlighted her role as a primary caregiver during college, a story that she had framed as a setback. Together, they restructured Maria’s essay and reframed her caregiving experience as evidence of the resilience and empathy that would make her an exceptional practitioner. 

Atreyi believes that the college essay process gives young people a rare chance to reflect onwho they’d like to be before the world tells them who they ought to be. She considers it a privilege to be part of that moment.