Our Team

Lorelle Babwah brings over a decade of experience in higher education and has a passion for helping young people navigate their educational journeys. She has invaluable knowledge of the application process, having worked at Duke University and the University of North Carolina. At Duke, Lorelle started out as Assistant Director of Student Services, working in both admissions and recruitment, and is currently active as a senior career coach. At UNC she oversaw a college preparatory and mentoring program and advised scholars for the prestigious Morehead-Cain Scholarship Foundation, which is the oldest merit scholarship at the country’s first public university, with a 3% acceptance rate. Lorelle also spent years as a college counselor, guiding students at independent schools across the world to places at select US universities.

Lorelle holds both her BA and JD from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and a graduate certification in Counselor Education from North Carolina State University. She is also a certified mindfulness and meditation coach, specializing in emerging adults. She brings a mindful approach to her work with students, focusing on self-awareness, curiosity, and intentionality in selecting a best-fit university. When not working with students, Lorelle loves playing pickle-ball, cycling, and learning in general. She has tried her hand at metalsmithing, Mandarin, and break-dancing so far, and is always on the hunt for new pursuits.

Over the course of her career, Martha Hirschman has served in a variety of roles in several independent schools. These roles include dorm parent, teacher, advisor, trip leader, Director of Admissions, Head of Lower School and Assistant Head of School. Martha has spent time in both girls’ schools as well as co-ed schools, and has worked with students from grades Pre-K-12. She worked at the Chapin School, Grace Church School, The Hewitt School, and Dwight School. Martha has had extensive experience in admissions and enrollment management, and is familiar with the New York City independent school landscape. She is a passionate and dedicated educator who enjoys working with families as they navigate the admissions process.

Martha has a B.S in Education from the University of Michigan, and an M.F.A. from New York University. She has been active in the Independent Schools Admissions Association of Greater New York (ISAAGNY) and has served on several NYSAIS school accreditation teams. Martha is also a long-standing board member of Early Steps.

Martha and her husband are both educators and have raised their daughter in New York City independent schools, she has navigated the admissions process from preschool to college. Martha is delighted to join Smart City Kids as a consultant.

Mariel Kessel has worked in the education field for over fifteen years. She began her career working in MBA admissions at Columbia Business School. After several years there, she moved on to become Associate Dean for undergraduate admissions at Princeton University, where she worked to identify the right candidates for admissions. It was at Princeton that Mariel discovered her passion for working with adolescents. She used her vast knowledge of the admission process to help students apply to colleges and universities with a focus on best fit.

Mariel understands the stress and pressures around the college admissions process. Building strong relationships with her clients at Smart City Kids, Mariel works closely with them to identify goals and create plans and structure so they can achieve the goals they set for themselves. One of her favorite things about her job is to help students find their voice in the process. Working with Mariel, students come to understand that the process is as much about them choosing a school as being admitted to one. Mariel has worked with students who attend competitive schools from around the world. She has a solid grasp of a wide variety of curriculums available to students, and she is well-equipped to help students face the unique challenges ahead of them. Mariel holds a B.A. from Smith College and a M.A. from Columbia University. Mother to two small children, Mariel enjoys hiking and reading In her spare time.

Erica is an Early Childhood Education Consultant and Corporate Specialist. Her focus is on the nursery school admissions process, and on educational advising in Westchester, NY. Bringing a sense of calm and sensitivity to her work with families, Erica works in a systematic, organized way to guide parents through the overwhelming aspects of the admission process. As a parent herself, she understands the demands parents face, including those involved in taking control of their child’s educational journey.

In addition to her consulting work, Erica offers parenting sessions to support parents through transitions or challenges with their children. She understands that parenting is complicated and is ready to help with compassion backed by personal and professional knowledge and experience. The support she offers covers a range of topics relevant to young families, from how to handle a move or welcome a new baby to easing separation anxiety. Erica also coordinates workshops for both corporations and schools on the topics of education, parenting, and public and private school admissions.

For 17 years, Erica was the Director of Admissions at The Caedmon School. As a member of the school’s senior administrative team, she was responsible for enrollment management, for the school’s marketing and communication, and for Co-Chairing the Financial Aid Committee. Erica managed all aspects of the admissions process, from tours to parent interviews and applicant playgroups. She was responsible for admissions decisions for applicants to all levels of the school. She designed a highly personalized admissions process for families and created various programs and events for applicant and current families.

Erica frequently spoke on admissions panels for the Parents League of New York, New York Family Magazine, and Early Steps. She is an alum of New York City Independent Schools, and she received a B.A. in Sociology from Brandeis University. While at Brandeis, the Admissions Office was her second home, where she worked closely with the Director on various student volunteer initiatives. Erica lives in Westchester and has a thirteen-year-old daughter and a nine-year-old son. She is an active member of the school’s PTA, volunteers in the classroom, and Chairs numerous events for the school. She formerly Chaired a junior committee of Friends of Karen, a charity for children with terminal illnesses, and she currently participates on Brandeis’ Alumni Admissions Counsel. Erica is totally dedicated to supporting families, making sure the decisions they make are ideal for their child's education journey.

Adriana Payne is an Educational Consultant specializing in K-12 advisory. She is passionate about demystifying the school process for families. In helping students and families navigate the complexities of school options and problem solve with good humor, she is committed to finding the environment where each child will flourish. Adriana is warm, curious, and deeply intuitive. She brings thoughtfulness and care to the process of finding a school.

Adriana was the Director of Admission and Associate Head of School at The Mandell School in New York, overseeing all admissions, enrollment, communications, and marketing. Prior to Mandell, Adriana ran her own independent communications consultancy in New York and London.

Raised in Chicago, Adriana attended an independent school, and then set her sights further east to earn a bachelor’s degree in religion from Hamilton College. She enjoyed living in the UK and France, broadening her experience and her knowledge of education. She is an active volunteer for the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), and at Hamilton College, where she is the Vice Chair of the Alumni Association. She also volunteers at Hamilton’s career center. An avid reader, writer, and lover of books, she also volunteered at the New York Public Library for many years.

Adriana has raised her two children in New York City navigating each stage of the school process from preschool to college as a parent. When not advising families, she enjoys traveling, cooking, contemporary art and architecture, music, hiking, skiing, and theatre.

Jackie has spent her entire professional career focused on access and equity to K-12 schools, colleges, and universities. She has a particular interest in the history of educational institutions as it pertains to the students each serves. Over the years, she has developed the skill set to fully understand the complexities of a student’s academic profile, which greatly informs her recommendations. Schools she suggests to clients are both academically and emotionally appropriate, a balance she feels is critical in allowing every student to reach their fullest potential.

Prior to joining Smart City Kids, Jackie served as the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at the Speyer School. Before that, she served as the Associate Director of Admissions and Secondary School Placement Director, also at Speyer. Her roles required her to identify gifted and accelerated learners using non-verbal assessments and academic achievement tools. She led the financial aid committee, managing a budget of over three million dollars. She collaborated with the school’s marketing team to identify the best forms of outreach to attract families to Speyer. She also supported the Placement Office by establishing relationships with Admissions Directors nationally, both at Day and Boarding Schools. Jackie served as the Secondary School Placement Director at The School of Columbia, and she held the Junior and Senior academic and admissions counselor position for the Higher Education Opportunity Program at Barnard College.

Jackie earned her Bachelor of Art degree in Philosophy from Buffalo State College and her Masters in Higher Postsecondary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She sits on the selection committee for the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship, which offers one of the only merit-based, need-blind high school scholarships to highly gifted students across the United States.

When she is not thinking about access and placement, Jackie enjoys the outdoors, the history of the Americas, and gardening. She lives in New Jersey , where she co-parents three children.

A child of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, Ashley is a first-generation college graduate from Rutgers University - New Brunswick. There, Ashley majored in Communication with a Specialization in Public Relations, and minored in Digital Communication, Information, and Media. During her time at Rutgers, she played Division I softball, earned a spot on the Dominican Republic's National Softball Team, and founded the Alpha Delta Chapter of Latinas Promoviendo Comunidad/Lambda Pi Chi Sorority, Inc. where she served as President, Public Relations Chair, and Step and Stroll Captain.

A creative at her core, Ashley is also Co-Founder of Skybox Entertainment, a creative collaboration collective for those interested in the music industry, where she puts together concerts and artist showcases. She manages musical artist, Tyler Bryant, and is an artist herself who goes by the name Hatasí. During her free time, she also enjoys creating digital art for Skybox, Mr. Bryant, and other creative ventures. At Smart City Kids, Ashley is responsible for managing Ms. Reid’s calendar and processing client applications. She’s passionate about making sure each family Smart City Kids serves feel seen, heard, and special. She is looking forward to working with you!

Sunit has been immersed in the finance, education and event management fields in Sacramento, the Bay Area and New York City. She received her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting. She began her professional career in 2012 and spent the first year and a half working with various tax firms in the Bay Area. She made her way back to Sacramento where she spent the following 4.5 years with the Department of Social Services and assisted with creating the annual budget for several state and federally funded programs. Sunit takes great pride in contributing to this work as it required being overly meticulous and detail-oriented to properly serve the people of California. On the side, Sunit also coordinates corporate events ranging all the way from team building events to large holiday parties and festivals.

Sunit shifted her way over to NYC and began working with Smart City Kids in 2018 and though the pandemic took her back to her hometown, Sacramento, for a couple of years, she is excited to be back in the Big Apple with the SCK team! Sunit is looking forward to handling all of SCK’s financial, HR and event management duties.

Outside of work, you are likely to find her working out on her Peloton, catching a basketball game, or spending time with her lovely family and friends!