Louise Borden, Queenstown

Louise Borden

CEO & Founder of Best Fit Education

Louise pursued her undergraduate degree in Russian at Vanderbilt University and obtained her MS Ed. in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from Nazareth College in Rochester, New York. She has over 30 years experience as an educator and ESL teacher. She founded Best Fit Education 2017.

 Louise currently lives in Santa Clarita, CA with her husband, Bob, and their dog Poppy. She enjoys traveling, running, long hikes with her family, and exploring the LA area. Their four children (all musicians!) are grown and living across the globe from New York to New Zealand

    • MSEd in TESOL, Nazareth College, 1993

    • BA Russian, Vanderbilt University, 1989

    • Independent Educational Consultant Certificate, University of California Irvine, May 2021

    • Graduate of the Independent Educational Consultants Association Summer Training Institute, 2017

    • Attend industry conferences and webinars featuring sessions on admissions, colleges, financial aid, and student life, and visit college campuses across the U.S.

    • Follow higher education news through newspapers, journals, blogs, and books.

    • Present webinars, workshops, and lectures on performing and visual arts admission for education professionals as well as for students and parents.

    • Teach English privately to high school and college students around the world. Have taught for more than 30 years at a variety of public and private institutions.

    • Consult with students and families in the US and around the world who have interests in studies and careers ranging across academic pursuits in addition to Performing and Visual Arts.

    • Parent of professional musicians, which led to specialization of working with students who are exploring performing and visual arts studies and careers.

    • Associate member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA)

    • Member of the International Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC)

    • Member of the Western Association for College Admission Counseling (WACAC)

    • Developed Curriculum for Music Discovery, Tianjin Juilliard

    • Presented for Lunch and Learn: Current Trends in Admissions, Recruitment, and Enrollment Management for the Performing Arts. ESL programs for Conservatories.

  • Best Fit Education (BFE) was founded to provide Louise’s students with individualized instruction to help them achieve their language and academic goals. As an English as a second language (ESL) educator and program coordinator at the primary, secondary, and college levels for more than 30 years, she developed a keen understanding of language development and how to help her students reach their full potential. BFE has allowed Louise to create a space where she can reach students individually and focus her attention on their specific goals, which was challenging in a school setting. After several years of concentrating solely on teaching English, Louise began to apply BFE’s individualized approach to guiding her students through their college and university selection and admissions process. With her team of professional counselors and coaches, each BFE student receives comprehensive services that fit their needs. As BFE has grown, BFE has specialized in performing and visual arts consulting and applies a personalized approach to advising students applying to arts programs and to consulting institutions trying to meet their enrollment goals.