Our Management Team

My name is Ajit Jain and I am one of the partners at Insight. I graduated with an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2004. I also hold a BASc in Civil Engineering from the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada. I have professional experience as a management consultant with McKinsey and Co., where I worked with retail banking clients. I also served as a construction manager with Turner Construction Company for four years managing the operations associated with the $500 million renovation of the General Motors Renaissance Center in Detroit, MI. Soon after graduating from Stanford, I founded a company focused on identifying and pursuing attractive investment opportunities in private industry. My search, in tandem with my Stanford classmate Purvi Mody, led me to Insight. 

I spent close to ten wonderful years as a College Counselor at Insight and I loved every minute and the hundreds of students I crossed paths with! My role is now focused entirely on business operations. Insight throws many exciting challenges and opportunities at me on a daily basis and I look forward to playing an active role in the long term growth and development of this wonderful organization. 

During my tenure at Insight as a counselor, I worked with students who were admitted to The Ivy League, Stanford, Duke, Washington University in St. Louis, Northwestern, Rice, USC (with scholarships), UIUC, University of Washington, Pomona College, Carnegie Mellon, and many more. I also helped students gain admission to all UC Schools including UCLA, UC Berkeley, and UC San Diego. I believe that every child is a unique individual and therefore deserves a very personalized Insight experience in order to better guide them throughout high school and the college admissions process. We all learn in different ways and we are all therefore suited to very different college environments. In my current role, I continue to work with our counselors regularly. 

During my time at Stanford I spent two years volunteering at the Costaño School in East Palo Alto serving as a mentor to a second/third grader as she tackled math and reading. I have also volunteered my time as a pro-bono consultant with the Stanford Alumni Consulting Team on projects for St. Matthew’s Episcopal School in San Mateo, The Nueva School in Hillsborough and the Redwood City Education Foundation. 

As a proud Canadian I love getting back home to Toronto as often as possible to spend time with my family and giving my son the opportunity to spend time with his grandparents. I relish the time I get to spend with him playing street hockey, basketball, riding our scooters to the park or simply hanging out at home.

Hello! 
My name is Purvi Mody and as one of the partners at Insight Education I love working with students ready to achieve their educational dreams! 

I have eighteen years of experience as an educational and admissions counselor. My formal experience in this field began with Achieva College Prep in 1999, but I have worked privately with students since 1998. At Achieva, I developed the Jump Start Program, designed for 9th, 10th, and 11th graders. My work with more than one thousand students during my career has allowed me the privilege of assisting many with their admission to some of the top universities in the country including Stanford, Brown, Harvard, UC Berkeley and UCLA to name but a few. My philosophy centers around helping kids identify and apply to the schools that are the best fit for them and then develop applications that emphasize their unique attributes and talents. I also enjoy working with Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors helping them with every facet of their high school journey. I have increasingly spent time advising families of middle school students on choosing the best high school for their child and helping their children develop the fundamental skills to be successful in high school. And as graduate school admissions, including law and medical, have become more complex, I have worked with applicants to develop and execute their admissions strategy. 

I graduated from UCLA with a BA (Honors) in Psychology, and minors in Education and Business. I then completed my Masters in Education at the Stanford University School of Education. My final foray into a degree program culminated in an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. I am a member of WACAC (Western Association for College Admission Counseling).

I have built my career on my passion for education and am exceedingly well versed in the college admissions process. More importantly, I love to connect with students as they embark on an increasingly stressful and complex journey. 

When I am not reviewing college admissions essays or helping students start a new club and set academic goals, I can be found spending time with my beautiful boys (future Insighters) and husband.

Hi! My name is Holly Spence, and I am the Marketing Manager at Insight Education. I studied at the Auckland University of Technology in Auckland, New Zealand, completing a Bachelor of Business degree and a Bachelor of Communications degree. During my study, I interned with the Corporate Communications team at my university, working on student-focused activations that began my love of this type of work.

After study, I worked in the Marketing team for the number one magazine publishing company in New Zealand (Bauer Media) on the weeklies mass titles portfolio. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in publishing, but as it often does, the heart pulled me in another direction – California! I moved to California with my husband (and cat!) in 2015 as he was beginning his Ph.D. at Stanford University. I quickly immersed myself in the Silicon Valley world by joining a jewelry startup in Palo Alto as the Marketing and Product Manager. I then joined the Insight team in early 2017.

I have been fortunate to be able to spend time with lots of students since arriving in the Bay Area, which sparked a deep interest in the Education field and specifically with helping students find their place at a university of their choosing. As part of the team at Insight, I work with counselors and the business team to communicate with our students, parents and potential clients. It is truly wonderful to be a part of a company that you really believe in, and I am very grateful to be a small part of helping students and families navigate the challenging college admissions landscape.

Outside of work, I enjoy visiting new restaurants, cooking, catching up with family and friends back in New Zealand, and enjoying the Californian sunshine with our cats.

Hello! My name is Casey Shook and I have been with Insight since 2014. Acquiring and sharing knowledge is at the core of my being, and I am thrilled to support a team that helps students achieve their academic goals! I am also a Silicon Valley native (born in Mountain View and graduated from Santa Clara High), so I feel right at home working with local students and their families.

I received my B.A. in Sociology from Seattle University, where I also minored in Women’s Studies and Spanish. On campus I was heavily involved with the school’s radio station and served as a programming director while also hosting my own weekly on-air show. Outside of school I worked in the fundraising department of the 5th Avenue Theatre Association and also spent some time in retail along the Emerald City’s famous waterfront.

After my time in the Pacific Northwest I realized I was a true California girl and returned to the sunny Bay Area. I have since worked as an event planner, barista, bookkeeper, fundraiser, administrative assistant, and database nerd before I found myself wanting to get into the education field — I consider myself lucky to work with the Insight team and call upon my skills and experience to support our amazing students.

When I’m not in the office I can be found with my husband and our adorable young son in either our Sunnyvale neighborhood or at a nearby beach.

Hi! My name is Christina and I joined Team Insight in 2016.

I was born and raised in the Bay Area and am now raising my little family in Santa Clara. I graduated from San Jose State University with a Bachelors of Science in Hospitality Management with a Minor in Business. While in college, I worked full time with an event venue where we would coordinate weddings, fundraisers and other various events. There, I was able to meet and work with all types of families while fostering my own desire in helping them achieve their dreams and goals.

After graduation, I have had the opportunity to work in many industries, including HVAC, the salon/spa and medical fields where my roles have always centered around helping others. Working with people and especially the youth has been such an inspiration that my goal is to get my teaching credentials. Being at Insight Education has allowed me to be immersed in the wonderful community of education and support a team that is so dedicated in guiding students work towards their individual goals.

In my spare time, you can find me volunteering at my daughter’s elementary school, spending time with my two girls and husband, or planning our next vacation to Disneyland.

Hello! My name is Helena Oz and I have been part of the Insight team since 2016. 

I grew up in the Bay Area and attended Los Altos High School. I moved to beautiful La Jolla to attend the University of California, San Diego where I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and Photography also acquiring minors in Linguistics and Studio Art. Post university, I moved back to the Silicon Valley where I have been nurturing my passion for helping and working with youth from all walks of life. My deepest desire is to see youth grow to be whole and healthy adults who can propagate excellence and compassion for their fellow humans. 

Prior to working at Insight Education, I was at an immigration lawfirm where I worked with people from all over the world helping them navigate the confusing and lengthy processes of immigrating. 

In my spare time, I like to ideate projects and collaborations with friends and fellow artists. I like dabbling in a variety of artistic mediums such as film, charcoal, oils, writing, music, etc.

Hello! My name is Diana Marie Apiado and I am the Administrative Assistant/ Receptionist at Insight Education.

I grew up in the Bay Area and attended Piedmont Hills High School. I recently graduated from San Jose State University with a Bachelors of Arts in History. During college, I worked part-time in the retail industry and volunteered in the youth’s religious education at my church. I always had the devotion to help others, but my true passion lay within helping students to achieve their dreams and goals because I believe that they are our future. My passion made me realize that my goal is to obtain my teaching credentials.

After graduating SJSU, I aimed to be part of the educational community and so I joined Insight Education. I am excited to be part of a team that is dedicated and passionate about helping students to strive for success and attain their goals.

Outside of work, I love to bake and cook, spend time with my family, and take nature hikes.