Category Mentoring

Brentwood School Family

“Cindy has a kind, thoughtful and customized approach with each student, which makes her so much more than a mere “tutor.” Instead, she is an amazing “Life-Coach” to our children as well as to every student she spends time with.”

Brentwood School Family

Gina Carty-Tashkoff, Marymount/Westmark Parent

“I am writing this letter regarding Cindy’s work with my daughter over the past few years. It was four years ago when my daughter came home complaining about how she did not like the school she was going to, even though it was a private school. She was having a very rough time and desperately wanted to get out of there. That is when Cindy came into our lives. She first started getting to know Taylor, not only as a student, but also as an individual. She helped Taylor get into her new school and has been there for her since day one. She showed her the right ways of making good friends and adapting to a new environment. We all, as parents, know how tough it gets for our children to move to a new school, make new friends, feel welcomed and feel like they are in the right state of mind to start the new school year. With Cindy’s help, I hardly worried about those aspects of my daughter’s life because I knew she was getting great help with an amazing person. Apart from helping Taylor transfer from one school to another, Cindy has been helping my daughter get through her studies and pass with flying colors. She has done an incredible job and I cannot express in words how thankful I am and how grateful I am for the work Cindy has done.”

Gina Carty-Tashkoff, Marymount/Westmark Parent

Brentwood School and Marymount Student

“Cindy Chanin is a very kind, intelligent, and hard-working woman. She never gives up on her students and not only helps them, but inspires them to be the best that they can be. Cindy is able to help clarify the concepts students struggle with, and creates a way that is fun and memorable to learn about subjects that seem like a bore in school. Cindy is always considerate and thinking of others. In my eyes, her main mission is to help kids succeed, not only with study habits, but she also teaches valuable life skills. Cindy is a special kind of person who only comes along once in a while, and when you are lucky enough to find her, she is committed to helping you achieve your goals.”

Brentwood School and Marymount Student

Crystal Quine, Santa Monica High School Parent

“I heard about the ‘Paving the Way to the College of Your Dreams’ program from another mom, and after having met Cindy and Merry, I really wanted my daughter to check it out. Then when my daughter met one-on-one with Cindy to talk about what the workshop could bring to her, Annie said she definitely wanted to go. She enrolled in the program, and after each class, she tells me how much information she has gathered, and feels more confident about what type of college would be best for her, and most importantly, how best to assure that she gets into the one of her choice.”

Crystal Quine, Santa Monica High School Parent

Vida Simon, Crossroads School Parent

“Cindy Chanin is at the helm of Rainbow, a creative and ingenious program. The emphasis of her program is about the whole child, homing in on each students’ goals and helping them achieve their goals by minimizing the stress of the college application process. Learning is intrinsically fun and test taking is less stressful through Cindy’s holistic approach. The academic tutoring, lead by Ivy League graduates, was an immense help in enabling my son to decipher the questions on the SAT. I highly recommend Rainbow for any age child or adult who is looking to learn more about themselves and become more successful academically and in developing their real personal goals.”

Vida Simon, Crossroads School Parent

Madeline Loef, Marymount and NYU Parent

“My daughter, Aja Bivens, worked with Cindy from her freshmen year through her senior year of high school. With Cindy’s extra guidance and recommendations through the rigors of her academic coursework, Aja was able to do very well throughout her high school years. Each year showed an improvement with her study skills as well as her grades. Cindy was able to teach Aja so that she fully understood her subjects and was confident in taking her tests. Aja also took Cindy’s prep courses for her SAT testing and she began these courses during the second half of her sophomore year and continued until the end of her junior year. Because she started well in advance, she was very prepared for the official SAT testing and was able to improve her scores by over 600 points from where she started. Cindy also worked with Aja to create vivid and poignant personal statements and unique essay supplements that very much set her apart in the college application process. Her applications, along with her excellent SAT scores and a strong GPA, allowed Aja to gain admittance to her dream school, New York University.”

Madeline Loef, Marymount and NYU Parent

Isabel Caro, Cornell University and Brentwood Graduate

“Rainbow was definitely important in my college prep process because the college immersion/mentoring program really helped me to understand the college process and how it works a lot better than I understood it previously. Of course, the writing workshops and time spent brainstorming topics for the application essays were key. I enjoyed being able to discuss ideas, share stories about myself, and talk about our opinions on the college process with other students. It helped give me different perspectives and it made the program fun and social as well. Paving allowed me to realize that it’s important to find a college that’s a good fit rather than choosing a college because it has a big name. Paving also gave me the tools to find the pros and cons of schools in order to make that choice. I found it important to have the program mentors get to know me so they could give input on what colleges they thought would be a good fit for me. Most essentially of all, Paving highlighted my best qualities and showed me how to emphasize them to colleges.”

Isabel Caro, Cornell University and Brentwood Graduate

Allie Burke, William & Mary and Louisville High School Graduate

“Working with Rainbow has been one of the best and most worthwhile experiences of my life. Cindy and her team offer more than just tutoring; they are role models, leaders, and mentors. Not only did they go out of their way to help me raise my SAT score; perfect my college apps; and build a professional, impressive portfolio for myself; but they also helped me realize my potential, goals, and discover my true self. With Rainbow’s help, goals I never thought I could achieve are now likely attainable and conceivable. I believe without a doubt I would not be where I am today without their tremendous support and inspiration. There is definitely a pot of gold at the end of this Rainbow!”

Allie Burke, William & Mary and Louisville High School Graduate