Catalyst Mentors
Our mentors are professionals with extensive academic, industry, business and non-profit experience.
Founding Mentor
Dr. Liz Krider is a parent, speaker, researcher, teacher and the founder of Catalyst – a boutique consulting group with the mission of teaching 5000 students how to develop purpose through projects and internships.
She's not your typical Caltech PhD.
She uses her training, professional advocacy expertise and 20 years of mentorship to coach students ages 14-24 in 1:1 and group settings to complete projects and internships that matter to them. The skills developed from such experiences differentiate students in the job market or post-college application process, whether that be medical, dental, or graduate school.
Her students thrive at top 20 and top 75 colleges and beyond, primarily because of the "evidence" they gained from working with her.
Dr. Liz has helped high school students thrive at Stanford, Yale, Cornell, Brown, Georgetown, Duke, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Johns Hopkins University, Rice, NYU, Tufts, University of Notre Dame, Purdue, and many other top 100 colleges. Recently, her students are excelling after college at Harvard (PhD), Stanford (PhD), UC San Francisco (MD/PhD), Georgetown (MD), Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (MD), George Washington (PhD), as well as in aerospace, business, education, and environmental science.
She earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and her research experience spans bioinorganic chemistry, environmental science, and microbiology.
She speaks at national conferences and hosts quarterly workshops for Parents of high school and college students. She trained with HEROIC Public Speaking (CORE, GRAD, Business Mastery) in 2023-2025.
Mentoring Programs: All Programs
Research Mentors
Work with Dr. Liz Krider and Mr. Manji Gunawardana on your research goals.
Trained at Caltech and UCLA, respectively, they have over 30 years of combined experience in mentoring student research projects in the biological and environmental sciences.
Students who have worked with them thrive at Top 10 and Top 75 colleges because of the research training and speaking skills developed under their direct mentorship.
Beyond college, they have students earning MD's or PhD's from Harvard, Stanford, UC San Francisco, Georgetown and other top 30 programs.
Mentoring Programs: Spring Catalyst, Summer Catalyst, Fall Catalyst
Internship Mentors
Work with Dr. Liz Krider and Ms. Michelle Sabourin on your career fit and internship goals.
Michelle Sabourin brings a lifetime of corporate expertise, having closed multi-million-dollar deals through authentic relationship-building. She applies that same wisdom to help students discover well-compensated career paths that align with their purpose.
She is certified to administer the Greenwood System™ to provide a data-driven roadmap that matches a student’s unique strengths and personality to the most viable college majors and career paths. This clarity helps families avoid the high costs of "trial and error" schooling by focusing on a specific, high-probability professional destination.
Mentoring Programs: Career Assessment, Networking, Internships, Beyond College
Project Mentors
Work with Dr. Liz Krider and Ms. Lisa Marriott on your project and community impact goals.
Lisa Marriott is a seasoned communications professional and longtime community advocate who brings over a decade of experience connecting young people with resources, stories, and opportunities that spark curiosity and growth. With deep expertise in writing, storytelling, strategic planning, and community engagement, Lisa is uniquely equipped to help young people with their personal goals.
She has a proven track record of building programs from the ground up—from launching a community bookmobile that served hundreds of families during the pandemic to creating a music education program for 600 students and securing grant funding year after year.
Mentoring Programs: Projects, Networking, Speaker Training
FAQs About Mentorship
Who can join?
High school students curious about STEM research are welcome.
What skills are taught?
We focus on research methods, data analysis, and science communication.
Where is the program held?
Classes and labs take place at Oakcrest Institute’s BSL-2 facilities in Monrovia, California.
Contact us at info@summercatalyst.com for details.
How long does it last?
Are publications included?
Yes, students have peer-reviewed research papers published.