BUILD 1 S.E.L.F.
At BUILD 1 S.E.L.F., we dedicate ourselves to personalized guidance in college, scholarship, and career planning, ensuring families feel confident and supported every step of the way.
Three Stages. One Strategy.
S – STRATEGIC
E – ENGAGEMENT OF ONE’S
L – LIFE
F – FOREVER
Each stage gets a plan built around the student’s goals, grades, and timeline.



01 High School Planning
Course selection, college-list building, leadership and extracurricular strategy, plus essay and passion-project planning.
02 College & Scholarships
Application strategy, matched-scholarship search, financial aid review, and interview prep.
03 Internships & Career
Resume and LinkedIn, personal branding, internship search, and job interview prep.
What Our Families Say
Parents who worked with Nicole, in their own words.
“Nicole has spent countless hours of dedicated, concentrated and intentional research, and implementation to help secure resources and partnerships for my son. As a family, we have been supported, educated about processes and programs, as well as personally advised well beyond the description of her services to ensure our success.”
Se’Fana Samples
Parent of Nicole’s Student
“Nicole was an excellent advisor, coach, and mentor for my daughter’s college application process during her senior year. Her approach was personable and very professional. She educated us tremendously and suggested individualized strategies for success. She was very organized and thorough. She listened to our concerns and answered all of our questions, and asked appropriate questions each time we met. School counselors are good, but they have to help so many students. We were so lucky to have Nicole on our side and she gave us personalized support, and we learned a great deal from her.”
Yoshie Yano-Pennings
Parent of Nicole’s Student
“Working with Nicole Stokes is truly transformative. Her college counseling, professional guidance, and personal branding expertise are unmatched. Nicole’s personalized approach helped me gain acceptance to top universities and secure competitive job offers. She has a remarkable ability to identify your strengths and provide insightful strategies to overcome challenges.”
Sunny Dandapantula
Cornell University Alum
