NICOLE Campbell, independent educational consultant, SAT prep instructor, and founder and director of AIM Educational Services, got the idea of starting AIM when she began receiving an overwhelming demand from students for scholastic advice when choosing overseas colleges.

Campbell, a past student of St Andrew High School for Girls, had graduated from Princeton University in 2006 and returned to Jamaica, when the requests started.

“AIM was born in 2010 out of a passion I’ve always had for empowering people. Kids started approaching me for help with getting into college because they knew I had applied successfully to two of the most competitive schools in the world and it aligned perfectly with my passion for empowering students,” Campbell said.

Campbell graduated from Phillips Academy ‘Andover’ in 2002. She then moved on to earn an undergraduate degree in economics from Princeton University in 2006, and a master’s in globalisation and development and a post-graduate diploma in policy studies from the University of London.

“AIM helps students and families. We help students maximise their potential, develop into their best selves, and gain admission to their top choice colleges and universities,” she explained.

She said AIM provides college and graduate placement services, educational enrichment programmes for high school students, tutoring in various subject areas, and classes that prepare students for university admissions including SAT, SSAT, GRE and GMAT.

“We also train teachers to deliver SAT courses,” she said.

Campbell, who also studied at Stanford University on scholarship, taught English language and mathematics at MRC Learning Centre, served as a tutor in the Department of Government at the University of the West Indies, and was a senior policy analyst in the Ministry of Education, before she started AIM, and so she’s familiar with the business.

She said like every business, AIM has its ups and downs, but she’s satisfied with its performance.

“Our average SAT score movement is 300 points — 10 times the average movement after SAT prep in the US, but still, I just want to figure out how to move that to 400 and 500. So I am never satisfied. I’m hungry,” she smiled.

The business recently moved to the campus of the American International School of Kingston (AISK), which Campbell boasts is one of her major business accomplishments to date.

“We started from my home. Then, through the great generosity of one of my mentors, Glen Christian, we had an office and classes at CARIMED. Then it was back to my house. Our offices are now on the campus of the AISK and we also have SAT classes based at Campion College,” she said.

AIM currently employs three full-time educators.

Benefits Campbell has derived from being an entrepreneur

1. Autonomy

2. Creative freedom

3. The ability to change lives for the better

4. The opportunity to pursue my passion with fervour

5. Control over the work environment I create for myself and my employees

6. The benefit of collaborating with my husband and the ability to show my children how to make things happen.