Meet Your Mentors
Three mentors. The complete arc from application to life.
ASA is led personally by three mentors — two managing partners shaped by Wall Street, Berkeley Law, venture capital and industrial leadership, and a counselor who holds the human dimension. Between them, the full arc: strategy, career, and the confidence and presence a student carries into every room.
Hashim Raza
Managing Partner · Elite College Admissions Mentor · Career Architect
From top universities to top careers. NYU Stern, UC Berkeley Law, J.P. Morgan, and chief executive of a venture capital fund — Hashim guides students from subject choices to the boardroom.
| Education | NYU Stern · Business |
| Education | UC Berkeley · Law |
| Finance | J.P. Morgan · Deutsche Bank |
| Leadership | CEO, venture capital fund |
Hassan Farid
Managing Partner · Admissions & Career Mentor
UCLA Anderson, then technology investment banking at Morgan Stanley and UBS in San Francisco and New York. Hassan returned to build and lead Pak Steel as CEO — and now advises students on turning elite education into real-world leadership.
| Education | UCLA Anderson · Finance, Accounting & Business-Economics |
| Finance | Morgan Stanley · UBS Technology Investment Banking |
| Operating | CEO, Pak Steel |
| Leadership | EO Islamabad President · Vice Chairman, PALSP |
Ayesha Hashim
Mentor · Presence, Communication & Student Wellbeing
A mental health counselor grounded in person-centred and trauma-informed practice. NYU-trained, Ayesha guides students through bicultural identity, pressure and presence — so confidence is real, steady, and their own.
| Education | New York University · Mental Health Counseling |
| Practice | Manhattan Mental Health Counseling |
| Focus | Bicultural identity · intergenerational dynamics |
| Approach | Psychodynamic · person-centred · trauma-informed |
Credentials
East Coast finance. West Coast innovation. Global leadership.
NYU Stern · J.P. Morgan
At NYU Stern, immersion in high finance and Wall Street led to a career at J.P. Morgan Investment Banking — with firsthand understanding of what it takes to break into investment banking, private equity, hedge funds and corporate leadership.
UC Berkeley Law · Venture Capital
At UC Berkeley Law, direct exposure to Silicon Valley founders, startups and investors — followed by service as Managing Director of a venture capital fund, guiding companies from idea to institution.
World Bank · KDI School
Recipient of the Joint Japan / World Bank Scholarship. Advanced studies at the World Bank Institute and KDI School, Seoul — building deep expertise in global leadership, policy and international institutions.
| Education | New York University, Stern School of Business |
| Education | University of California, Berkeley · School of Law |
| Finance | J.P. Morgan · Deutsche Bank |
| Venture | Managing Director / CEO, venture capital fund |
| Operating | Chief Executive across film and media, FMCG, food, ed-tech, chemicals, fertilizer and renewable energy |
| Global | Joint Japan / World Bank Scholar · KDI School Global Ambassador Fellow |
Hassan Farid — Credentials
West Coast technology banking. Industrial leadership at scale.
UCLA Anderson · Morgan Stanley · UBS
Honors graduate of UCLA Anderson (Finance, Accounting, Business-Economics, Computing). Investment banking at Morgan Stanley in Los Angeles, then five years in UBS's Technology Investment Banking Group across San Francisco and New York — M&A, IPOs and public financings in the internet infrastructure and software space.
CEO, Pak Steel
Returned to Pakistan to lead Pak Steel — a manufacturer of reinforcement and structural steel — as CEO. Supplied the Lahore, Islamabad and Multan Metro lines, BRT Peshawar and the Orange Line, projects worth more than $2.5 billion, and led the company's expansion into CPEC mega-projects.
EO Islamabad · PALSP · CPEC Zones
Director on the Board of the Rashakai Special Economic Zone (CPEC), former Director of the KP Economic Zone Development & Management Company, founding member and past President of the Entrepreneurs' Organization Islamabad Chapter, and Vice Chairman of the Pakistan Association of Large Steel Producers.
| Education | University of California, Los Angeles · Anderson School of Management (Honors) |
| Finance | Morgan Stanley · Corporate Finance Program, Los Angeles |
| Finance | UBS · Technology Investment Banking, San Francisco & New York |
| Operating | Chief Executive Officer, Pak Steel Re-Rolling Mills |
| Boards | Rashakai SEZ (CPEC) · KPEZDMC · EO Islamabad (President) · PALSP (Vice Chairman) |
Ayesha Hashim — Credentials
The human dimension. Presence that is felt, not performed.
New York University
Master's degree in Mental Health Counseling from New York University — trained in the frameworks that underpin real confidence, self-understanding and resilience.
Manhattan Mental Health Counseling
A licensed mental health counselor (MHC-LP) providing warm, relational, online therapy. Works with high-functioning individuals carrying invisible emotional weight — listening not only for what is said, but for what is felt.
Bicultural Identity & Expectations
Particularly attentive to bicultural identity, intergenerational dynamics, and the tensions between personal needs and collective expectations — exactly the terrain an internationally mobile student navigates.
| Education | New York University · Master of Mental Health Counseling |
| License | MHC-LP · Manhattan Mental Health Counseling |
| Frameworks | Person-centred · Psychodynamic · Trauma-informed |
| Specialty | Bicultural identity, intergenerational dynamics, pressure and presence |
What makes this different
Most college counselors have never hired anyone. I have hired hundreds — and I have sat on both sides of the table: the one that reads the application, and the one that hires the graduate four years later.
I've walked the path. I know the doors — and what's behind them. East Coast finance to West Coast innovation, one-on-one mentorship with no templates, all tailored to you, and long-term guidance from today to your dream career.
The right guidance today creates a lifetime of opportunity.
The journey we build together
Seven stages, from Grade 9 to career success.
Foundation (Grade 9–10)
Academic planning, the right course rigor, study habits, and early leadership and extracurricular direction.
Aptitude & career discovery
Strengths assessment, interests and passions, career exploration, and aligning purpose with potential.
Profile building & leadership
Activities with impact, internships, research, competitions, community service and leadership roles.
Testing strategy & excellence
SAT / ACT / AP / IB planning, smart preparation, score optimisation, and the right timing with fewer retakes.
Application & storytelling
Personal statement, supplemental essays, recommendations, interviews and scholarship strategy.
College list & admissions
University selection, reach / target / safety strategy, early decision, and global options across the US, UK, Canada and more.
Beyond admission — career & life success
Career roadmapping, internships and first jobs, graduate school strategy, executive presence, and a life of impact and fulfilment.
Who I work with
High school students in Grades 9–12, international and domestic applicants, parents seeking strategic guidance, scholarship-focused candidates, and students targeting top US and global universities.