​Meet the Team

Francesca Freeman, founder of Shattered Ceilings, is passionate about supporting students and young professionals to find their voices through the college application and career search processes. Under her guidance, Francesca's students have gained admissions to the world's most competitive universities, including:
  • Harvard University,
  • the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,  
  • Brown University,
  • And many more! 
She has also helped young professionals take empowered approaches to the career search, helping clients feel confident in their applications and finding jobs that are strong fits. In addition to her work at Shattered Ceilings Coaching, Francesca is the Founder and Executive Director of DAWNetwork, an organization that connects American and Syrian high-school-aged women in a peer mentoring program focused on leadership development and the college application process, creating a community that allows all students to thrive. Francesca has previously worked with several college prep organizations including College Essay Guy, SYE Initiative, and Crimson Education: 
  • College Essay Guy: Francesca supported low-income high school students through College Essay Guy's Matchlighters Program.
  • SYE Initiative: Francesca worked with over 250 students from conflict zones applying to universities in the United States, Canada, and Europe. 
  • Crimson Education: Francesca provided Extracurricular and Leadership consulting to dozens of students.
Francesca completed her Master's degree at the University of Amsterdam in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, where her Master's thesis was awarded the Faculty of Humanities Thesis Prize. She graduated with honors from the University of Chicago with a double major in Anthropology and Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies and a minor in Human Rights. Francesca currently works at MIT and has previously worked at the Social Science Research Council on a fellowship program for African PhD students and has worked with Mercy Corps, an international humanitarian aid organization, on their policy team. 
Francesca also runs half marathons, journals daily, and reads the latest academic and popular research on leadership development and women empowerment. When not working with high school-aged girls around the world, she can be found hanging out with her dog, Buster. 
​Tracey Schwartz has assisted thousands of students in exploring their academic and career paths to make  confident, informed choices that match their interests, skill sets, values and life goals. She combines both a professional counseling background with more than 7 years of experience in Higher Education to empathically coach students through their journeys. She specializes in helping young professionals create and achieve their academic and career goals, guiding students to careers ranging from Nursing to Engineering. Tracey’s approach leverages proven college success skills on topics such as:
  • personal responsibility
  • motivation
  • goal setting
  • time management
  • financial management 
  • career exploration
Tracey’s passion for working with women stems from a desire to focus on an individual's strengths and interests to move beyond imposter syndrome. Her approach helps women use self-doubt for positive motivation in their everyday lives. 
Tracey completed her Master of Arts in Counseling degree at Missouri Baptist University where she graduated with both a licensure and school counseling track. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree from Maryville University in Rehabilitation Services and minor in Psychology. She is certified to administer the Strong Interest Inventory and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment-both of which are research-based and highly effective in assisting with major and career path exploration.
Tracey enjoys spending time with her family and goes on new adventures with them every chance she gets. She enjoys puns, live music, and cold brew coffee. She is always looking for new resources to help her students thrive and expand her own knowledge repertoire. 
It is so important to have someone in your corner while taking on a new life transition. 
Tracey knows what it takes to be fully prepared for college success and life after college when entering the world of work. She is excited to share that knowledge with you!