Who is Alison Edwards May?

Alison is the mother of two young adult sons who were born in Oakland, California and raised in Hong Kong. A native of Philadelphia, Alison’s life and career spans the United States from Philadelphia to Fort Worth to Boston to the Bay Area and, in 2010, the family moved to Hong Kong. With her children grown and residing in America, Alison returned to live in Oakland in Summer, 2023.

Alison values close relationships, authenticity, humor, helping others, and, above all else, balance in life. Her intention is to make her students feel simultaneously comfortable, supported, challenged, and believed in, no matter their current academic or emotional standing. 

In 2018, the needs of Alison’s family exposed her to the world of alternative education and the necessity for additional support outside of school.  She will never forget her son’s description, “School — and the workload — makes me feel like I am on a treadmill headed for a paper shredder.” That paper shredder and the feeling of dread it held over her child created a desire to want to help students and families who face similar challenges and inspired Alison to start her business.  She revels daily in the interactions that she has with teens where she sees dread turn to hope and fear turn to action.

Humor, compassion, empathy, community, understanding, and -- most of all -- balance are Alison’s guiding values.  Her business grew directly from a desire to help guide teenagers to their ultimate potential academically while balancing all aspects of their often very active lives.

Past students, parents, and teachers agree: Alison can help.

When the plates are all spinning well, the performance looks easy; but when one starts to fall, the rest follow suit. Alison calms challenged systems. She knows that the first steps towards making the performance work are stepping back and looking at the whole picture and then focusing on which plates need readjusting. She helps her students determine what can be done right now to start putting them back together, then takes it one step at a time until all of the plates are spinning and the performance looks easy again.

Alison’s natural ease with teenagers makes her able to encourage vulnerability which, in turn, leads to an open understanding and willingness on the student’s part to do the work, as she holds them accountable not only to her but mostly to themselves. In doing so, they are not only learning organizational skills but are growing towards independence with an understanding of the need to maintain balance in order to live productive, happy, and healthy lives.

Alison’s support can help your child and you.

As a neutral third party dedicated to the academic portion of your child’s life, she can divert their academic stresses from impacting your relationship with them; helping to make your child’s years before leaving home more enjoyable.

Alison’s Philosophy

Qualifications

Alison’s variety of careers woven with her life experiences and personality blend perfectly to bring her to this work. 


She has worked in many professional settings: from an international school library in Hong Kong, to consulting for nonprofits, to professional theaters in America. Each career has revolved around working with individuals to achieve goals -- and each career has functioned to expand her ability to adapt to unique situations and personalities, which applies directly to the work she does now.

Professional Experience

  • Alison has a Master’s Degree in Arts Management (Boston University, 1999). She also has her Bachelor's Degree in English and History, with a minor in Business Administration. (University of North Texas, 1988)

  • Alison has been doing this work for 5 years.

  • While working in the international school library in Hong Kong, Alison led literature and inquiry circles, socratic seminars “inquiry circles”, supported students in research for academic papers, and developed relationships with students through discussing their interests, studies, and lives in general. She discovered her love for working with teenaged to young adult aged students in this position, which she held for several years.

  • Alison’s extensive career in professional theaters in America has also given her skills she directly applies to working with students. Interacting with audiences, subscribers, and interfacing between talent and the administration, writing and executing contracts directly align with skills she now uses with her students: organization, executive function, and writing.

Volunteer Experience

  • Her work as a consultant for nonprofits in Hong Kong focused around writing curriculum that would be delivered in workshops of executive directors and fundraising managers. —expand—

  • American Women’s Association - HK branch

    Alison initiated and ran a buddy program in the American Women’s Association HK branch for over seven years. She connected newcomers with existing members to provide guidance and ease their transition into living and/or working in Hong Kong. (expand or connect maybe)

  • At the Hong Kong branch of the UK Charity Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centre, Alison edited the English translations for all public facing documents including newsletters, fundraising appeals, nutrition advice and emotional support pamphlets and even subtitles of video supports when their services went online during the pandemic.