Terry Chevako Bava
Born in New York City, I spent my formative years moving around the world to such exciting places as Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Connecticut, Guam and Kenya. We lived in Puerto Rico several times, and my parents settled there in time for me to graduate from St. John’s High School many moons ago. I went off to Smith College to earn a degree in Anthropology then spent a couple of years in Philly before returning home to Puerto Rico.
The past 35 years in Puerto Rico have been busy! I first worked at Publishing Resources selling advertising space for Orquesta Sinfónica and Festival Casals programs and then put my love of writing to use as a food and wine editor for San Juan City Magazine. My days as a journalist continued with stints as a reporter at Caribbean Business and writer for The San Juan Star. When my son was born, I devoted myself to motherhood and a little freelance writing.
When we found the TASIS School in Dorado, I found a new vocation, or it found me! I first taught a journalism class and then a year of 9th grade English and a decade of Photography & Photoshop. I enjoyed stints of 6th grade, 8th grade and 10th grade English along with Geography and AP Human Geography and found that along with enjoying writing, I like teaching writing. I enjoy unraveling the mysteries of the essay and helping students to express their knowledge and ideas. This morphed into working with college application essays and helping students to present the most compelling versions of themselves that they can. I established the Writing Center for application essays, and my colleague Susan Fortuño and I were proud to see its success.
I have been involved in SAT prep and college applications for over a decade, and it is the most fulfilling work I have ever done. I started with my son, who went to Stanford and then Yale Law school. All of the angst and learning of that college application process had to go somewhere, so I worked with the counseling office and then earned a college counseling certificate from UCLA Extension. I went independent in 2019 and Susan joined me for several years. We are separating to accommodate our varying schedules, but we remain great friends and collaborators.
I love helping “my” kids to find their best fit colleges and then watch them spread their wings and fly. It gives me great joy when they come home with their eyes alight with their discoveries.
When I have the time, I enjoy reading, snorkeling (and chasing lionfish), photography (land and underwater), developing my family tree, taking photos while my husband golfs, and traveling.
I would be happy to share my counseling experience with your family. Please set up a free consultation today!
Terry Chevako Bava
she/her
