About GPS Academy
美国领航教育 ✈︎
At GPS Academy, we specialize in guiding students toward their highest academic potential and securing admission to their dream colleges. Our College Planning Services provide end-to-end support — from crafting standout applications and enhancing academic and extracurricular profiles to navigating scholarship opportunities and FAFSA submissions.
Through our Prep Courses, including intensive SAT/SHSAT training and advanced AP & Regents subject mastery, students gain the skills and confidence to excel in competitive academic environments.
Founded in 2012 and backed by a team of expert advisors and elite educators, GPS Academy is recognized as a trusted authority in college admissions. We are committed to delivering personalized strategies, world-class instruction, and results-driven guidance — empowering every student to succeed.
Expanding Our Horizons ᯓ✈︎
Five years ago, in the difficult early weeks of the pandemic, Lawrence Yan and I opened the doors (virtually, at first) to GPS Academy Long Island. We thought we’d be remote for two, maybe three weeks. Instead, we spent more than a year building something entirely new—over Zoom, through uncertainty, during some of the hardest days we’ve seen in education.
Lawrence had already laid years of groundwork with GPS Academy in Flushing, earning a New York Times feature in 2017. I am fortunate to have spent over 25 years teaching and advising teens and young adults as a humanities faculty member at institutions like Yale, Barnard/Columbia, and Stony Brook. In 2019, I co-founded @longislandscholars to provide free, individualized support to lower-income New York metro area public school students seeking best-fit colleges, transfer programs, and other educational and career opportunities.
GPS Academy Long Island and Long Island Scholars have grown with and through one another: LIS students receive free, tailored support for college applications, essays, internships, and financial aid. GPS students gain meaningful experience by volunteering with the nonprofit.
Our work is driven by genuine moments of connection, breakthroughs small and large, and our shared hope that education can open doors for students who deserve it. I’m grateful to walk this path with Lawrence, and with every student—past, present, and future—who has put trust in what we do.
Five years in, and we are as grounded in our mission as we’ve ever been.
- Dr. Shawn Marie Garrett
More About Our Team
Tancy
Tancy earned her M.A. in Organization and Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University, where she served as president of the Adult Learning and Leadership Networking Club. Her thesis explored sustainable workplaces and leadership through art. She gained experience as a Learning and Development Intern at the NYC Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget, later working as a corporate trainer at Oracle, where she led programs for over 100 consultants. During COVID, she also served as a Mandarin medical interpreter.
She holds a B.A. in Human Health and Psychology from Emory University, where she received a poetry award and sang in the university choir. Outside of work, Tancy enjoys family time, writing short stories, and helping GPS Academy students discover their voice and confidence.
Dr. Shawn Marie Garrett
Dr. Garrett is the Co-founder and Director of Educational Consulting at GPS Academy Little Neck and Long Island Scholars, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting student success. She also serves as Board Secretary and Co-director of Communications at YaleNYC, is an Associate Member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, and a Member of the New York State Association for College Admission Counseling. In addition, she contributes to community and professional initiatives as a Leader with the Women’s Diversity Network and as a Facilitator for the TED-Ed Club of Long Island.
A former faculty member at Yale, Barnard/Columbia, and Stony Brook Universities, Dr. Garrett holds both a D.F.A. and M.F.A. from Yale University, as well as a B.A. from Duke University.
Jeff
Jeff’s journey through the U.S. medical school application process is nothing short of extraordinary. In a field where the average acceptance rate hovers around 3%, and more than half of applicants receive no offers at all, he earned acceptances from 13 medical schools, including Yale, Johns Hopkins, Penn, and Dartmouth. Before medical school, Jeff studied Neuroscience and Philosophy at the University of Southern California (USC) on a full scholarship. He was also admitted to several other top universities, such as Stanford, Columbia, and Carnegie Mellon.
Beyond his own academic success, Jeff brings deep experience in admissions. He attended Dartmouth Medical School and later served on the admissions committees at both USC and Dartmouth, where he reviewed applications and conducted interviews. This insider perspective has given him a clear understanding of what admissions officers value and what applicants often overlook. Passionate about writing and mentoring, Jeff specializes in helping students bring out their unique stories. His guidance on personal statements and supplemental essays is known for being both persuasive and genuine, allowing applicants to present themselves with confidence.