ABOUT

NICOLE ANDREA PORCARO

President and Founder

She graduated from Harvard College in May 2022 with her second Master’s degree, also with high honors, and a highly-regarded thesis entitled, “Portraits of Contemporary Ladies: Imagination and the Anxiety of Influence in Henry James and Claire Messud.”

She is currently earning her doctorate at Vanderbilt University (July 2026 or bust!) and is a professor of English at Montgomery College, winning the “Outstanding Part-Time Faculty” award in 2025. She also teaches six classes on topics that range from Saturday Night Live to Female Spies Throughout History to Baseball and Film in the Continuing Education division, and was named a COIL Fellow and an Eric Grosse fellow in 2025, and was awarded the prestigious Shoenberg Fellowship for 2026.

Bottom line: Nikkee loves what she does, and wants to help you make your educational and career dreams come true!

Nicole Andrea Porcaro (Nikkee) is the N.A.P. in N.A.P.! has been a fixture on the college admissions scene for over 17 years, assisting students both domestically and internationally with the private school, college, and graduate school application processes. Since founding N.A.P. in 2012, she has helped her students earn admission and scholarships to the top universities and graduate schools in the world. Check out the testimonials tab for more information!

Nikkee believes that personalized help is the best kind of help. When you call No Anxiety Prep, you get the president on the phone immediately. While many large companies make grandiose claims (with grandiose price tags to match), Nikkee and her staff get to know each and every one of her clients, listens to their goals, and formulates a plan to help them achieve those goals. Constant communication and a shared vision to help a student reach his or her goals has led to the success No Anxiety Prep has consistently delivered. She is proud that No Anxiety Prep has won Washington Family Magazine’s Best SAT/ACT Prep Program in 2020 and 2021 and Best Tutoring Program Award in 2021, as well as Montgomery Magazine’s “Best Tutoring Program” in 2023, Washington Parent’s “Best Tutoring Program” in 2024, and Potomac Lifestyle’s “Best Tutoring Firm” in 2025. In fact, No Anxiety Prep has worked with students in 25 states and 11 countries!

Nikkee Porcaro Jeopardy No Anxiety Prep best tutor DC

A two-time Jeopardy! contestant, MLB “The Chase” game show winner, and author, Nikkee released her acclaimed college admissions handbook, “Appliquirktion: How to Make Your Application Step Up, Stand Out, and Shine” in June 2023, which is now available on Amazon.

Nikkee grew up in northern New Jersey and graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism and a concentration in Sociology. She completed a citation in the College Park Scholars honors program and competed for the nationally-ranked Maryland Club Gymnastics team. After working in the worlds of promotional modeling and journalism for a few years (including stints at NBC and ESPN), Nikkee received her Master’s of Science in Education in Teaching Language and Literacy, Grades 6-12, from Purdue University, graduating with high honors.