Cultivating confidence since 2014.
About CAC
Since 2014, Custom Academic Coaching has offered holistic, custom-tailored alternatives to the one-size-fits-all college and graduate school admissions advice, helping students actualize their potential and emerge skillfully into adulthood with personally tailored, research-informed coaching.
We help families clear the chaos of admissions--to dispel the myths, demystify the rules, and give you a complete picture of your options so that your family can make informed decisions that meet your needs.
Learn more below about our CAC’s Founder and expert coaches below.
Nena Malhotra
Founder & Head Coach
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Nena Malhotra is an independent educational consultant and the Founder and Head Coach of Custom Academic Coaching. She is an expert in admission to American and British undergraduate and graduate programs at a variety of institutions, including the Ivy League and other top-tier schools, liberal arts colleges, technical colleges, and art schools. Since founding CAC in 2014, 97% of her college counseling students have been admitted to one or more of their top three choices.
Nena earned her bachelor’s degree in English & Comparative Literary Studies and a minor in Art History & The Visual Arts from Occidental College in 2009. She attended the University of Exeter Law School in the United Kingdom, where I was First Year Moot Court Champion, and Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. She clerked at the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, the Los Angeles Legal Aid Foundation, and Public Counsel.
She has served as an Executive Member of the Board of Trustees at The Pasadena Waldorf School since 2022 and is a member of the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA).
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When I graduated a year into the Great Recession with a degree in English and art history, the alternative to adapting creatively was a failure to launch. I wasn’t about to give in, so I got to work: in admissions officers, law firms, arts nonprofits, small business ventures and, of course, solo as an educator and admissions counselor.
Today, I use those varied experiences--and the lessons I learned from living in uncertain times--to help young people develop the skills and outlook they need to thrive in the face of unpredictability.
I use the knowledge I developed working in college admissions to understand how gatekeepers make decisions.
I bring a tactical approach from years of debate and moot court, working in law firms, and attending law school to help students make strategic choices that put them ahead of the competition.
I use my skills as a writer and editor to help students craft skillful and compelling narratives to win the hearts and minds of their readers—admissions officers, potential employers, and more.
And I apply my experience as an educator to connect with students and help them learn to learn more effectively and more joyfully.
The results speak for themselves. Since founding Custom Academic Coaching in 2014, 97% of the college applicants I’ve worked with have been admitted to one or more of their three top-choice colleges.
Brenan Dwyer, MFA
Performing Arts Program Coach
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Brenan Dwyer is an actor, writer, director, and educator for both screen and stage. With a deep foundation in Shakespeare and classical theater, she now focuses on bringing new work to life through such projects like an absurdist adaptation of Hamlet that premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, a sketch comedy web series focusing on women’s bodies, an immersive multimedia seder that dives into generational trauma, and her current project: a one-woman show about a woman arduously voyaging the Oregon Trail video game. Her expansive art practice is augmented by her multi-disciplinary artistic practices like pastel painting, ballet, comedy improv, classical piano, and graphic design.
Brenan has helped students create, rehearse and perform unique stories for over 20 years through writing, improvisation, pastiche, adaptation and discovery.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in Theater from Occidental College and a Masters of Fine Arts in Acting from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). She is an intermediate Spanish learner.
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I am a passionate teaching artist and professional actor, writer, and director for both stage and screen, as well as a pastel artist and a dedicated, long-term amateur ballet dancer. I began my work as a teaching artist 20 years ago and have continued to mentor students in acting, writing, and dance across grade levels and in different learning environments, from summer school programs to private camps to year-long integrated workshop programs. My teaching approach is skills-based creativity that can apply to different learning styles and various academic subjects and career fields, catering to problem solving and personal expression. I have taught at all grade levels, from TK-undergraduate, specializing in middle school and high school. Whether they have gone on to more artistic study, each student I’ve worked with has found growth through their creative expression and used their creativity in other personal and professional endeavors. I hold a foundational commitment to upholding justice and diversity in the arts; increasing racial literacy, demanding and supporting BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ arts leadership, and challenging power structures are fundamental steps for a new arts ecology.
Dr. Lexi Portaro
Health Sciences Program Coach
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Lexi Portaro is a licensed pharmacist and CAC’s medical, pharmacy, and health sciences program consultant. She is also the founder and operator of PranaRae, a holistic business specializing in complementary medicine and health education. Lexi earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from UCLA and a Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Southern California's (USC) Mann School of Pharmacy.
As a lecturer for USC’s Keck School of Medicine master’s program in Global Medicine and USC’s undergraduate pharmacy program, Lexi has taught multiple subjects ranging from non-communicable diseases to motivational interviewing. She has also worked as a clinical pharmacist, during which she coached and educated patients on a variety of health topics, and designed and led training sessions for nurses and other healthcare professionals.
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The most fulfilling work I’ve done in life has involved helping others reach their goals, whether as a healthcare practitioner or an educator. In all of my work, I prioritize understanding where a person is coming from in order to become the right set of ears and the right voice to empower them. I bridge evidence-based educational methods with coaching techniques, including motivational interviewing and structured goal-setting, to help those I’m supporting better understand themselves and become a part of structuring solutions that fit their lives.
My rich background in the performing arts has informed my dynamic, flexible approach to teaching, and has helped me create an environment where students feel seen, engaged, and confident taking intellectual and creative risks.
Peter Selawsky, Esq.
Law School & Debate Coach
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Peter Selawsky is a California-based attorney, LSAT instructor, and law school admissions consultant with expertise in admission to top-tier UK and US law programs.
Peter is an experienced LSAT tutor and law school admissions consultant committed to a client-centered and holistic approach to the law school application process. Peter’s services as a tutor are tailored to CAC’s individualized assessments of each applicant’s needs and strengths, identifying and pursuing areas of improvement in logic games, reading comprehension, test-taking strategies, and other essential skills for law school admissions.
Peter earned his bachelor’s degree in English & Comparative Literary Studies from Occidental College in 2009 and his JD from University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings). As a law student, he received recognition for his clinical research and analysis in the relationship of developing technologies to US constitutional, criminal, and privacy law, including location tracking and aggregated metadata. As an attorney, Peter has represented thousands of individual clients in California, leading and consulting on jury trials and legal projects across the state.
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What Sets Us Apart
People-First Approach
Everything we do is built around understanding your needs and helping you succeed—because when you thrive, so do we.
Long-Term Relationships
We’re not just here for the now. We create lasting relationships with our clients and growing with them over time.
Proven Process, Flexible Execution
We bring structure where it counts and adaptability where it matters.