Letter from Founder
I founded Chestnut State to provide mentorship and guidance to adolescents. Addressing adolescents as individuals, I listen and learn with them along the way, push them to challenge themselves and their self-limiting beliefs, make them self-reflect and analyze themselves, and inspire them to dare to dream bigger.
Through coaching, students gain vision, grow secure with themselves, and become more emphatic, more strategic, more interested, and more engaged. When this occurs, they ask questions, continue to wonder, and find hope in tomorrow. Chestnut’s teaching approach pushes students to wrestle with material in order to reflect on who they are, ultimately learning more about themselves and their world. A young person’s mind is so capable and flexible, but so susceptible to becoming numb and static— addressing it robustly is absolutely critical.
Adolescents face a complicated world: one of economic instability, social media toxicity, academic pressure, historic college competitiveness, and the loss of interconnectedness and community. Developing young people as comprehensively as possible— intellectually, socially, and emotionally— is vital to their overall growth and fulfillment. Each area supports the others; one area is strengthened when another is addressed. This principle is vital to the work I do.
Please navigate the site to learn more about each facet of Chestnut State. On the “Program” tab, you’ll find information about coaching, advising, teaching, and college admissions counseling. On the “Thoughts” page, you can read short articles about various topics concerning today’s adolescent. For those wanting a more in-depth orientation, as well as some interesting discussions on childhood dynamics, social noise, the psychological benefits of learning, and what my coaching and mentorship approach looks like, visit the “Handbook” page.
As always, feel free to message me directly and/or schedule a consultation to talk. I look forward to discussing these ideas with you and your family.
David
Founder
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David Joseph Issabey
FOUNDER & DIRECTOR
Coach David’s perspective— influenced mainly by his studies in philosophy and psychology—provides him with a humanistic and comprehensive mentorship approach. Prioritizing development over achievement, he believes the first leads to the second. As a coach, his approach is to teach students how to self-reflect and self-analyze, allowing them to understand themselves deeply and accurately. His goal is to provide adolescents insight regarding who they are so that they can control their own development.
An admittee to college, graduate school, law school, and medical school, David brings a wealth of experience applying to various academic programs. Across the various programs he’s applied to, he has earned admission to New York University, the University of California Los Angeles, New York Law School, George Washington Medical School, and Harvard University. He earned his bachelor’s degree in human development psychology and his master’s degree in political philosophy, both from DePaul University.
Read a more complete bio here.