Meet the Merry Makers

Different backgrounds, same mission: to give every student equal access to life-changing education

What we do

Going Merry is a platform that helps students, counselors, and scholarship providers all improve access to college education.

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We help students understand college costs and then pay for them, via scholarships and financial aid.

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We help parents navigate the process of funding their children’s higher education and teach them how to maximize their families’ financial aid.

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We help high school counselors support their students through the college process, as well as host local scholarship programs online (for free!)

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We help scholarship providers manage and accept applications online and find the most worthy recipients.

Want to help join us in this mission? Check out our open positions here.

Meet our team

Adrian Kurniawan

Adrian wanted to make the most of college and pursue a subject that allowed him to help others. Studying computer science pushed him to learn new things and challenge himself. Using these skills, he wants to help others get an equal chance at receiving a quality education.

Allyson Edwards

True story: the very first thing Allyson’s dad said when she got into college was: “How are we going to pay for this?” Without scholarships, financial aid, and maxing out student loans, it wouldn’t have been a reality. Allyson believes that education should be as accessible as possible, and is excited to help get students one step closer to that. Allyson received her Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Stanford University.

Athena Reyes

Having experienced the difficulty of searching and applying for scholarships firsthand, Tin aims to do her part in helping students close the financial gap in paying for college. With the skills she acquired from her education enabling her to do just that, she firmly believes that education is nothing short of life-changing and thus, should be made accessible to all. Athena earned her Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering from Adamson University.

Bethany Hubert

Bethany is a first generation graduate who navigated applying to universities and financial aid alone. Although the majority of her education was funded by working full-time and scholarships, Bethany was forced to take out student loans to bridge the gap. This experience has made Bethany passionate about assisting others in pursuing their education with the smallest financial burden possible. Bethany holds two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Alabama.

Brianna Ciafre

Brianna found it difficult to find scholarships that aligned with her personality and background when applying to college. She didn't know what to search for and would quickly become unmotivated. While she received aid and scholarship awards, she wishes that there was something similar to Going Merry so the process could have been easier. Brianna earned her BA in Business from Temple University.

Charlotte Lau

Char remembers the anxiety of college application time, trying to get into a good university and then find enough funding to pay for it. With Going Merry, she hopes to make that process at least a little less stressful. Char holds a bachelor’s degree from Stanford and a Masters from Oxford—degrees both funded by scholarships.

Christine Gohil

Christine recalls the confusing and frustrating process of applying for financial aid and scholarships. She wishes Going Merry had been around to help guide her through that process. She hopes to help simplify this system so every student can achieve their educational goals. Christine earned her Bachelor’s degree in Strategic Communication from Cal State East Bay.

Danny Gonzalez

Danny is a first generation college graduate. He has a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship from San Francisco State University. Recently he’s been coaching his nephew through the challenges applying for schools, getting financial aid, scholarships, and comparing financial packages between schools. Going Merry is a big part of that process!

Eleanna Garcia

A first-generation college graduate, Eleanna remembers the importance of applying for scholarships. Having access to scholarships changes the game and it’s inspiring to know there’s help. With Going Merry, education is obtainable. Eleanna earned her bachelor’s degree in Communications from Arizona State University at 19 years old with the help of scholarships. Remember, you can do this!

Grant Little

A first-generation college graduate, Grant has always had a passion for making higher education more accessible and approachable for everyone. With 10 years of experience in higher ed admissions, Grant knows the challenges students face when trying to finance their education. Going Merry helps simplify the process. Grant received his bachelor’s degree and MBA from Regis University in Denver, Colorado.

Jay Rhodes

Jay has over 20 years of experience in the fintech and college financial space, and brings his passion and experience with helping people achieve their educational dreams to Going Merry. Jay is also a competition-loving weekend warrior and huge sports fan.

Karinka Priskila

As someone who has received tuition waivers with the help of scholarships, Karin wants other students to also have the same opportunities to get scholarships they are eligible for. At Going Merry, Karin hopes she can help to improve students' experience when applying for scholarships with the best quality app. Karin earned her Bachelor's degree from Harapan Bangsa Institute of Technology in Bandung.

Meg Artz

As a first generation college graduate finding ways to pay for college was a new journey for Meg and her family. While she did receive some scholarships, the bulk of her education was funded through working full time and student loans. This experience motivates her to help students fund their education by taking on as little debt as possible. Meg graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from Central Washington University.

Randy Ma

Randy grew up in Hong Kong and attended college in the US. He wants to fix the scholarship application process and help others be able to realize their educational dreams. Randy holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University.

Randy once thought it would be cool to memorize the digits of pi and can still recite pi up to 27 decimal places.

Raymond Murthi

Raymond was trying to help his then-girlfriend (now wife) apply for scholarships when he saw how bad the application process was. He then decided to invest an unhealthy amount of time into fixing it. Raymond has a double master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pittsburgh.

Raymond doesn't usually refer to himself in the third person and can bore you to death speaking about soccer... seriously, don't ask him.

William Putra

Coming to the US for the first time to attend college, William felt the painful process of finding scholarships and financial aid. Despite receiving some support to cover his tuition, he wished something like Going Merry had existed at the time. William got his master's degree from Carnegie Mellon University.

Shumai is William's favorite dim sum snack. His current record is 20 in one go.