Querida De La Stukes
Mentor
Querida De La Stukes is an American living in London, with roots in northern Virginia where she grew up and attended school. She earned her International Baccalaureate diploma there before heading west to Stanford University, graduating with a Bachelor's in History and a minor in Creative Writing. A full tuition scholarship then sent her to Columbia University for graduate study at its School of Social Work, where she completed her MSSW (Master of Science in Social Work), focusing on Policy Practice. Her CV includes a stint mentoring leadership students at Phillips Exeter Academy. At Stanford, she co-taught an undergraduate course on careers in public service, and she also worked with applicants to the rigorous Truman Scholarship competition, coaching several through to a successful outcome.
A lifelong learner, Querida is drawn in equal measure to biology and psychology, government studies and economics, history and literature, and at Guidewell she puts that breadth to use in ACT and SAT preparation alongside essay coaching. Her mentoring philosophy starts from the relationship itself: she believes the trust between mentor and student is what makes everything else possible. That belief shows up in a collaborative approach, where students feel genuinely backed as they work towards their own goals. Earlier in her career, Querida walked high school students through the emotional terrain of choosing a college, offering both practical guidance and steady support. Career education has been another strand of her teaching life: with Stanford undergraduates, she worked across both lecture-sized cohorts and tutorial groups, breaking complex concepts down for any audience and coaching students hands-on through assignments such as informational interviews.
Away from work, Querida is most likely to be found unrolling a yoga mat, settling in with a book, keeping her Duolingo streak alive in Spanish, Italian or Irish, or in the kitchen baking up a storm.