John Liu is in his eighth year as a University Guidance Counsellor, and this is his sixth year at YCIS Shanghai. Before joining YCIS, Liu was the Director of College Counseling and Student Support in an international school in Taiwan for four years, and prior to that he worked as a high school social studies teacher and Dean of Students in a New York City public, magnet school for seven years. Liu has an M.Ed in Private School Leadership, an M.A. in Educational Policy and Educational Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a M.A. in Secondary Social Studies Education from CUNY, Lehman. John loves to highlight the diverse talents and tremendous intellectual ability of YCIS students to Universities around the globe.

Sonja Phongsavanh is in her fourth year at YCIS Shanghai, having previously worked as Associate Director of International Outreach and Admissions at Rochester Institute of Technology in the United States for several years. Phongsavanh has travelled in Asia, Europe and the Middle Eastern regions, and has always been interested in learning about different cultures. Phongsavanh received her B.A. in Social Science with a minor in International Studies and her M.S. in Service Leadership and Innovation. She is excited to share her university admission experience with the students.

Karen Ozkurt joined YCIS Shanghai in 2017, after spending the past five years guiding students through the university admissions process at a private school in Istanbul. Ozkurt has a B.A. from Wellesley College and Master of Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina. She worked for many years for community organizations in New York City before moving to Istanbul. Ozkurt is excited to work with the diverse students at YCIS to help them on their journey to higher education.

Tim Gartz came to YCIS Shanghai after nine years at an international school in Hong Kong and several years as a family therapist in the USA. Gartz’s educational background includes university degrees from Brigham Young University - Hawaii and Washington University St. Louis in Clinical Social Work with a Specialization in Family Therapy, and he is a board certified Licensed Clinical Social Work professional from the State of Colorado. He is a holistic counselor who cares deeply about the emotional, social, intellectual, academic, and future success of each of his students