By: Nishe Jami

Counselling was a happy accident for me. I started out at a school as an events coordinator. A few months in, the counsellor left, and I was asked to step in and work alongside the head counsellor. I was skeptical at first. I did not know then that one unexpected opportunity would completely change the direction of my career.

But I took the offer.

Lo and behold, in my very first year, I ended up writing a recommendation letter for a student who got into Harvard University and another who secured admission to Constructor University in Germany. The rest, as they say, is history.

What keeps me going is the knowledge that I get to play a small role in someone else’s big transformation. It makes the many, many, MANY late nights worth it. It makes the hours taken away from my own little one worth it too. Year after year, students walk into the office carrying dreams, doubts, and endless potential, and somehow, every batch reaffirms why I chose this path.

Over the years, working as a profile-building counsellor has taught me many things. Students constantly ask me for the “hack.” They want to know the formula, the secret, the guaranteed strategy.

But the answer is surprisingly simple: you get what you give.

Do good work, and the world often finds a way to return that goodness to you. I have seen students with average grades receive full funding because they were kind, driven, authentic, and deeply respected by the people around them. And I have seen students who had perfect grades, impressive activities, and polished résumés struggle because they lacked humility, empathy, or what we call tameez. 

At the end of the day, admissions are not just about numbers. Sometimes, it really comes down to how many people are genuinely rooting for you. (And my name will always be on that list).

Then there are the students who seemed to have everything — the grades, the extracurriculars, the ambition — yet still did not end up where they had always dreamed of going. Those are the cases that stay with us. Those are the moments we revisit, the mistakes we learn from, the experiences that make us better counsellors for the next child who walks through the door. 

And yet, through all of it, I have learned to believe deeply that there is a force greater than our plans — the Best of Planners. And I trust that, in the end, everything will be okay: those who are destined for greatness will find it — or it will find them.

What makes this journey truly rewarding is that it never really ends at graduation. The relationships we build with students outlast acceptance letters, school years, and university decisions. Years later, they still come back with updates, questions, career news, wedding invitations, and sometimes just a simple message to say thank you.

And honestly, that is the real reward.