Education
& Collegiate
2026 Digital
Guide
SIDELINESDIGITAL | July/August 2026
For Mira Korber, horses have always been more than
a passion, they’ve shaped every step of her journey. A
lifelong equestrian, Mira grew up riding in Maryland
before earning a degree from Yale and beginning a
career in investment banking. While the high-stakes
environment appealed to her, she quickly realized life
behind a desk wasn’t where she wanted to be. Instead,
she found a way to combine her love of horses with a
passion for educating and supporting young riders by
founding Blue Ribbon Scholars in 2019.
What began as a program helping students stay on
track academically while competing in Ocala has
grown into a team of educators supporting equestrians
across the country. Now based in Ocala, Florida, Mira
continues to pursue her own goals in the jumper ring
while leading Blue Ribbon Scholars, giving students the
flexibility to excel both in the classroom and in the show
ring through personalized educational support.
How did you first get involved with horses?
I was a little over a year old when I had a pony
ride on Barney. From that point on, I think I
wore my parents down until they signed me
up for riding lessons when I was 3, and things
spiraled from there.
What were your early years with horses like?
I have great memories of growing up in
Baltimore County, Maryland, taking lessons
at Tack n’ Trot riding academy. The Merryman
family was influential in nurturing my love of
horses, and they had ponies of every size—from
nine hands on up. My friends and I would
often get on these ponies bareback with their
little bridles and ride them around the farm
until they inevitably dumped us and ran back
to the barn.
What special people or horses
have helped you along the way?
My family has always supported my passion to
the greatest extent they could. It’s hard to pick
just a handful of people because I genuinely
believe that each of my trainers has taught me
something different and useful. I rode with Kevin
Babington in high school, and he has always been
someone I can call when I need help, even today. I
can always trust him to be both honest and kind.
I have not had the privilege to ride all that
many horses over the years, but similarly I have
learned something from each of them. My mare,
Patent Pending 3E, has been an incredible
partner for the last 11 years. We’ve won many
classes together, and my life has changed a lot
in the time I’ve owned her. But she has been a
constant presence and is just so reliable.
MIRA
KORBER
Empowering Student-Athletes
With Blue Ribbon Scholars
Blue Ribbon Scholars Founder Mira Korber
SIDELINESDIGITAL | July/August 2026
How did you get to where you are now?
Certainly not by following a straight line!
After graduating from Yale, I started working
in investment banking, which allowed me to
purchase Patent Pending 3E as a 4-year-old. I
enjoyed the high-stakes nature of that job, but I
really couldn’t tolerate being inside for 14 hours
a day. In 2019, I started Blue Ribbon Scholars,
which originally was designed to help students
manage extended absences to compete at
HITS Ocala. In 2023, I completed a master’s
in public policy, focusing on education policy,
at Vanderbilt University. That’s where I met my
husband, who has a doctorate in biology. We
moved to Ocala full time after graduation.
What does Blue Ribbon Scholars do now?
Since 2020, we have grown beyond helping
students manage the winter term in Florida,
although we still run our flagship in-person
program every season at HITS. Ever since the
pandemic, many students are “doing school”
wherever they have an internet connection.
Whether a student is competing in Ocala for the
winter, traveling nationally or simply learning
best outside a traditional classroom, we provide
personalized instruction. Blue Ribbon Scholars
has a team of about 12 educators, many of whom
ride or have family members who ride. Together,
we’re able to cover every academic subject, as
well as college advising and NCEA recruiting.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
It’s the nature of my work that I talk to a huge
variety of people. I appreciate the opportunity
to get to know families personally so I can help
them advance towards their academic and
personal goals.
What do you consider to be your
greatest accomplishments so far?
I think being able to maintain lasting relationships
with family and friends is something that really
enriches my life. I’m not sure it’s an “accomplishment”
per se, but being able to preserve those bonds is
something that matters to me, especially when the
rest of life can feel unsettled or chaotic.
I’m also proud of having found a way to
participate in this sport. Being able to show at a high
level is not accessible financially and is obviously all-
consuming timewise. By producing my own horses
and having them live at home, I can be competitive
in the divisions where my horses excel.
What do you like most about jumpers?
In the jumpers, I enjoy the combination of speed
and precision that gets the win. Seeing the perfect
track and then riding it is a very satisfying feeling.
What are your goals in life or riding?
My big unresolved goal is to feel satisfied with
my competitive results in the jumper ring. I
started off wanting to represent the U.S. in
international competition; now, I’d be happy
being competitive in the High Amateur Owner
jumpers and regional Grand Prix.
What do you like to do when
you’re not riding/working?
My husband and I take weekly dance classes
and enjoy Argentine tango workshops. I also
play the violin and mandolin with friends in
Micanopy, Florida.
How do you balance everything
going on in your life?
I don’t. I think the notion of balance is a myth. I
believe it’s possible to have everything you want,
but it’s not possible to have it all at the same time.
Once I recognized that, things got a lot easier.
What impact would you most like to
make on the world, or what message
do you try to share by your example?
Whatever I’m doing, I try very hard to do well.
Even if it’s something I don’t necessarily want to
be doing, I still want it to be good. I would love
to see more of my students take that approach
to their work. Ultimately, I believe that pride
in ownership is a sign of integrity. I don’t mean
pride in the egotistic sense; I mean that taking
ownership of your work motivates you to grow
and do better all the time, whether it’s in school,
work or riding.
What’s one piece of advice you
wish most people would heed?
Stay curious and try to learn as much as you
can. Remember that there’s a world outside of
horses, too.
For more information, visit blueribbonscholars.com
Blue Ribbon Scholars serves
students in Ocala and beyond.
Mira competing her mare
Patent Pending 3E.
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RANDI C.
HEATHMAN
Guiding Equestrian Students
on Their Unique Paths
Randi C. Heathman has never known a life without horses, quite
literally. Raised in Horton, Michigan, she grew up with horses
in her backyard. Today, she combines that lifelong passion
with her professional expertise as an independent educational
consultant and founder of The Equestrian College Advisor,
helping equestrian students navigate the often-overwhelming
path to college while balancing their riding goals.
A self-described “Type A (some might say A-plus...)”
personality, Randi was naturally drawn to dressage, where
precision and problem-solving are key. That same mindset
carries into her work with students, where she helps piece
together each individual’s academic and equestrian journey—
despite advice not to specialize. “I knew I wanted to work with
equestrians,” she said. “I knew it would be hard—and I was
right about that. But I was also right to stay the course. I’m so
proud of myself for having the courage to follow my gut.”
Horse-wise, Randi takes pride in developing her own horses
without shortcuts, a journey she says makes every milestone
more meaningful—like riding her current partner, Kashmir H,
down centerline for the first time and knowing exactly how
much work went into that moment. “Now my sights are set
on earning my USDF Gold Medal with Kashmir—but don’t tell
him that, it’s a lot of pressure!”
How did you first get involved with horses?
Does in utero count? My parents met through
horses and my mother rode into her final
trimester. We always had horses in the backyard
and family lore says my first word was horse.
What were your early years with horses like?
Idyllic. I had a pony in the backyard who was a
saint and I was given the freedom to ride him all
over the farm.
How did you get to where
you are now in your career?
My college admission career coincided with the
development of my college’s varsity equestrian
program, so gaining knowledge about both
specialties ran parallel at a really formative
time in my career. Then as I encountered more
and more confused—and anxious—students
and parents who wanted to match up both a
great education and a fulfilling college riding
experience, I wanted to figure out a way to
help them. Discovering the field of educational
consulting was the final piece of the puzzle
and once that snapped into place,
I never looked back.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I’m a huge movie and theater buff and every
few years I also like to take a solo vacation to a
tropical resort somewhere to just sit by a pool
with a book and completely zone out.
How do you balance everything
going on in your life?
It’s so engrained now that I don’t even think about
it—but I will say, having a strong community of
family and friends and mentors around me to rely
on when I need support is crucial.
What impact would you most
like to make on the world?
I want kids to know that they matter. That’s
it. The thing I find most frustrating about the
journey to college from the student side is that
they’re made to feel anxious about it. There’s
this sense that they “have” to do this “the right
way,” that there’s a “good” college and a “bad”
college and that there’s only one way to reach
their goals—or that if they haven’t set their life’s
course at age 17, they’re somehow failing at
life. And all of that is wrong—but it’s also very
easy for me to say that as a 45-year-old woman
with 20 years of experience to back that up. It’s
an entirely different situation for a teenager to
conceptualize.
So instead of focusing on the trappings of
the college process (which we do have to factor
in, admittedly), I want to create a space for
students to feel like it’s OK to ask questions,
to speculate, to try a path that doesn’t fit on
their way to finding the path that does. And
the whole time that exploration is happening,
I want them to know that they’re OK—they
matter and they’re special, and they’ll be OK in
the end.
If I can do that, I’m doing just fine.
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