Nathaniel Toppelberg

Principal & Coach

I am here to help you make the most of your education. I graduated from Yale cum laude and with an award of distinction in the major. I am a Marshall Goldsmith Forefront coach, under the auspices of MG100 Coaches, one of the world's most prestigious coaching networks.

I founded Lumis Admissions in 2010 to help good people earn admission to great colleges. I coach my students to realize their full potential while maintaining wellness, strengthening mental health, and developing essential skills for work and life. I bring an uplifting, optimistic and warm energy to my coaching work because I aim to inspire and support my students at all levels. Families hire me for my dedication to helping their children receive the highest possible benefits from their investment in education.

I am an educator and three-time entrepreneur. In 2018, I co-founded an educational advising agency with partners from Beijing, raising $1 million in first-year capital from private investors to help immigrant families from Asia navigate the world of American college admissions and make the most of their education. In 2012, I was part of the founding team at Gakko Education, and I helped raise $5 million in corporate sponsorship from Benesse and Hinoki.

At Yale, I received awards from the Niebla Foundation, Coben Fellowship, and Mellon Forum to fund my scholarship, resulting in a paper published in the top-ranked Journal of Peace Studies co-authored with Dr. Elisabeth Wood (Crosby Professor of the Human Environment at Yale’s Department of Political Science).

I am a certified Spike Coach at Spike Lab and a Forefront Coach, led by renowned executive coach, Marshall Goldsmith, and his 100 Coaches. At Spike Lab, I train young entrepreneurs who want to stand out to top colleges by building exceptional projects.

My students have earned admissions to a wide range of schools including Tufts and Yale, small liberal arts colleges including Swarthmore and Amherst, and major cosmopolitan universities including NYU and UC Berkeley. (See the Admits List for more.) I focus on getting my students into best-fit schools where they will thrive, both during college and in their careers afterwards.

I am a first-gen American with parents who emigrated from Argentina. I am fluent in Spanish, and my work with immigrant families, students of color, first-gens, and anyone else who appreciates their ancestry is particularly meaningful to me. I offer reduced rates for certain cases, including first-gen, LGBTQ+, POC, and low income students.


For more info, see my LinkedIn and Spike Lab Coach Profile.

Lumis’ Origin Story

Hi there. This is Lumis’ origin story - in six sentences.

When I was in high school, I was blessed to have incredible teachers who supported me. With their help, I earned admission to my top schools, including Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, University of Chicago, Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore and Pomona, and more. Even more importantly, my counselors helped me choose my best fit school, helping me see through the brand names to find what I truly needed.

I knew how fortunate I was, so I started my college coaching business in 2010 with a purpose: Pay it forward. Today, I hope to support you in the same way I was supported. This process is a formative time in your life, and a daunting one, so you’ll want a steady hand by your side. I will give you my very best.

Warm regards,

Nathaniel

When I’m not working with students and families, I love to practice and teach yoga and meditation in the Boston area.

“Nate was outstanding. He worked so well with my daughter, providing her invaluable mentoring, guidance, and assistance at every step of the college application process. He truly invests his heart and soul into his students. He is extremely personable and provides his students with an outstanding level of professionalism. My daughter was late to start her application process, but Nate had her synchronized within a week. I highly recommend him for any student.”

— Jonathan D, M.D.