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Kira S.

Kira Smiley

She/Her

HBS and 2x Stanford grad, specialized in non-traditional backgrounds

  • Harvard Business School Logo

    Harvard Business School

  • X, the moonshot factory Logo

    X, the moonshot factory

Available Friday

Starting at 2:00 PM UTC

Most happy to take clients who are in the stages of trying to think about how to tell their story as they craft their essays, and early stage clients trying to decide where to apply.

Questions?

You can start chatting with Kira before you get started.

Work with Kira

About

I will help you parse out how your decisions, background, passions, and lessons learned can thread together into one cohesive narrative you can share with the admissions committee. If you are sure which school to apply to, I will use the socratic method to help guide you to where the best fit might be based on your goals.

Kira’s College Qualifications

Hello and welcome to my profile! With a Bachelor's and Master's degree from Stanford University and an upcoming MBA from Harvard Business School, I bring a wealth of academic experience to my coaching. I applied and was accepted to six business schools, including Stanford's GSB and both US-based and international universities. My professional journey includes roles as a Senior Program Manager at GoogleX (X, the moonshot factory), and Director at Tidal, where I honed my leadership and strategic skills. I've coached several students informally, helping them navigate the competitive college admissions process and secure spots at top institutions. I'm passionate about guiding students to craft compelling applications that highlight their unique strengths. Let's work together to ensure you put your best foot forward!

Kira can help with:

Editing

Essays

Interviews

Resume

School Selection

Why do I coach?

I've been informally coaching or advising for years, and I love helping people shape a cohesive narrative to help them achieve their goals.

Work Experience

S2G Investments Logo

Senior Summer Associate

S2G Investments

June 2026 - August 2026

Growth stage investment firm on the Oceans investing team

Tidal Logo

Director

Tidal

May 2024 - July 2025

Interviewer

X, the moonshot factory Logo

Senior Program Manager

X, the moonshot factory

January 2020 - April 2024

Interviewer

Kira was also given offers to work at

  • United States Department of State Logo

    United States Department of State

Education

Harvard Business School Logo

Harvard Business School

MBA, Business Administration

2025 - 2027

Stanford University Logo

Stanford University

Master’s Degree, Earth Systems

2018 - 2020

Stanford University Logo

Stanford University

Bachelor’s Degree, Earth Systems, Japanese minor

2013 - 2018

Took a year off after sophomore year to go live and work in Japan, so graduated a year later.

Kira was also personally admitted to

  • INSEAD Logo

    INSEAD

  • Stanford Graduate School of Business Logo

    Stanford Graduate School of Business

  • Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley  Logo

    Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley

  • MIT Sloan School of Management Logo

    MIT Sloan School of Management

  • London Business School Logo

    London Business School

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