James R.
5.0
(13)
7 followers
Studied at University of California, Berkeley
Works at Adobe
Successful clients at
Available tomorrow at 9:00 PM UTC
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About James
Hey! Nice to meet you. I’m a proud first-generation, low-income community college transfer who charted an unconventional path to big tech. I began my academic journey at Pasadena City College, where I graduated at the top of my class before transferring to UC Berkeley. At Berkeley, I graduated Phi Beta Kappa while balancing multiple leadership roles and internships. Now, I work as a Go-To-Market Strategy Manager at Adobe, where I partner with product, marketing, and enablement teams to shape campaign and AI strategy. I was fortunate to land multiple internships in big tech due to a combination of hard work, networking, and a bit of luck. As someone with a non-traditional background, entering the tech industry felt like an uphill climb. But I wasn’t alone, I had friends who encouraged me, mentors who guided me, and professors who believed in my potential. Now, I’m passionate about paying it forward, helping others find their own paths to success in higher education and beyond. Outside of work, I love weightlifting, building Legos, and fashion! I also dedicate much of my time to giving back as a college mentor, tutor, and Little League baseball coach. Thanks for stopping by, and I look forward to connecting with you!
Why do I coach?
I coach because I know firsthand how challenging it can be to navigate college and the internship search process, especially as a first-generation, low-income, or community college transfer student. Gaining admission into a prestigious school or landing your dream job as a non-traditional candidate often feels overwhelming, but I’m here to help demystify the process. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the incredible mentors who guided and encouraged me along the way, and now it’s my turn to pay it forward. My goal is to provide the same level of support and guidance to students from similar backgrounds, helping them build confidence, craft compelling applications, and land internships or full-time roles at top companies. I also strive to keep my coaching as affordable as possible to make it accessible to a wide variety of students because everyone deserves a chance to succeed, regardless of where they come from.
Work Experience
Go-To-Market Strategy Manager
Adobe
October 2025 - Present
- I currently work as a Go-To-Market Strategy Manager at Adobe, where I partner with product, marketing, and enablement teams to shape campaign and AI strategy within the BDR organization - Youngest manager-level employee at Adobe
Business Development Representative
Adobe
August 2024 - October 2025
- FY25 Performance: 106% quota attainment in M1, $18M GNARR created, and $2.5M ARR progressed. - Worked cross-functionally with a team of engineers, PMs, and designers to shape the MVP and go-to-market strategy for Adobe Creator Studio, a new AI-native tool for short-form content creators - Co-led strategy and execution for a two-day onsite with a Fortune 100 travel company, aligning PMMs, Consulting, and Sales to influence $2.6M+ in pipeline - Built and launched the BDR GenAI Enablement Hub, a centralized platform used by 350+ sales reps globally to onboard, activate, and scale GenAI workflows across outbound campaigns
Growth Strategy Lead (Contract)
Intel
August 2023 - December 2023
- Led a cross-functional team of 5 to research, design, and deliver a GTM strategy for Intel’s AI Global Impact Festival, resulting in an 11% registration uplift and reach expansion to 6,800+ new participants - Developed full-funnel engagement roadmaps across LinkedIn, TikTok, and Instagram, including campaign concepts, influencer seeding, and channel-specific cadence plans - Facilitated new strategic partnerships with MESA & Technology Student Association (TSA), expanding Intel’s festival reach into 350+ middle & high schools nationwide and broadening Intel’s pipeline of early STEM talent
Product Management Intern
The Verse
May 2023 - August 2023
- Shaped the MVP direction for a wellness-focused edtech platform by leading 25+ user interviews and benchmarking 8 competing products to identify must-have features and adoption blockers - Defined early user personas and crafted product positioning and messaging frameworks to support GTM strategy - Mapped the full user onboarding journey to surface friction points, then proposed feature interventions and in-app guidance to drive early engagement and retention
Strategy & Operations Intern
Checkr
February 2023 - May 2023
- Contributed to the optimization of Checkr’s self-service acquisition funnel, boosting conversion rates by 1.3% and delivering data-backed growth recommendations projected to add 25K customers and $27M in incremental revenue - Developed a friction scorecard to evaluate Checkr’s self-service funnel vs competitors, analyzing UX elements like progressive profiling, chat support, and mobile responsiveness - Conducted competitive teardown of 10+ B2B and B2C acquisition funnels (e.g. HireRight, Sterling, First Advantage) to identify high-performing patterns in onboarding, pricing, and support flows
UX Design Intern
August 2022 - December 2022
- Developed three feature concepts for LinkedIn Learning and presented high-fidelity prototypes to product leadership - Led 60 user interviews across three career stages to identify key learning pain points, which directly informed feature prioritization and positioning - Synthesized research into user personas, value props, & use cases, contributing to GTM planning for learner experiences
James was also given offers to work at
LinkedIn
Palo Alto Networks
Intel
Tanium
Gartner
Okta
Google
Clay
Education
University of California, Berkeley
Certificate in Entrepreneurship & Technology, Startup Track, Engineering
2023 - 2024
The SCET Certificate in Entrepreneurship & Technology offers UC Berkeley undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to build networks, Start and grow their own startups, and strengthen leadership, collaboration, and communication skills. The Certificate equips students with the mindsets and skills to become leaders in any industry.
University of California, Berkeley
Bachelor of Arts - BA, Political Science and Philosophy , Political Science & Philosophy
2021 - 2024
Grade: 3.95 Activities and societies: DiversaTech Consulting (External Vice President, Project Manager, Account Manager), ASUC Student Government (Community Engagement Executive for the Office of the President), NavCal (Mentor and Intern), Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (Undergraduate Researcher), Latino Business Association (Intern), Labor Center Student Advisory Committee, Intermural Baseball Awards and Distinctions: - Phi Beta Kappa (Top 10% of Graduating Class) - Pi Sigma Alpha (Political Science Honor Society) - Graduated with High Distinction
Pasadena City College
Bachelor of Arts, Political Science
2019 - 2021
- Valedictorian - Summa Cum Laude - 2020 CCCFA Speach and Debate National Championship Team - Pasadena College Speech and Debate Team Captain
James was also personally admitted to
University of California, Los Angeles
Pomona College
Amherst College
New York University
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
University of California, San Diego
University of Southern California
13 Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
James has helped clients get into these schools:
James has helped clients get into these companies: