
Kira Smiley
She/Her
HBS and 2x Stanford grad, specialized in non-traditional backgrounds

Harvard Business School

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

Senior Summer Associate
S2G Investments
June 2026 - August 2026
Growth stage investment firm on the Oceans investing team

Director
Tidal
May 2024 - July 2025
Interviewer

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
Education

Harvard Business School
MBA, Business Administration
2025 - 2027

Stanford University
Master’s Degree, Earth Systems
2018 - 2020

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

Stanford Graduate School of Business

Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley

MIT Sloan School of Management

London Business School
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