The Mission
To give every student, regardless of demographics, access to high-quality college admissions guidance.
The Purpose
We believe that of the many inequities in education in this country, one of the most overlooked is the role of a college counselor. Over the past twenty-five years, we have witnessed the massive difference between students who can access comprehensive college counseling and those who can't. Without the right support, most students are doomed to utter what we hear from most seniors when it comes to application time. "Why didn't anyone tell me this information? I wish I would have known.”
The Problem
The numbers are staggering
94%
of middle school students have the dream of going to college…
33%
…never get there
84%
of low income students drop out of college
67%
HIGH SCHOOLS WITHOUT A DEDICATED COLLEGE COUNSELOR
A disproportionate number of these are schools in poor areas. Without a college counselor, how are underserved students supposed to advance?
500:1
Average counselor caseload across the U.S.
Some districts average as many as 1000 students to 1 counselor and 21% of schools have no counselor at all.
22%
THE AMOUNT OF TIME GUIDANCE COUNSELORS SPEND ON COLLEGE COUNSELING
Most schools that have some form of counseling have a GUIDANCE counselor, not a COLLEGE counselor and guidance counselors are burdened with other tasks that prevent them from providing college admissions advice.
The Solution
We utilize a revolutionary new college counseling platform, AKALA, to help students navigate the complicated journey to college.
At its core, the platform is a blended model: part technology and part one-on-one consulting with best-in-class college counselors.
The AKALA program unleashes hidden potential and transforms students into the best possible college applicants they can be. The result is an intensely personalized pathway for each student to land at the perfect-fit college or other post-high school journey.
Course/Rigor Selection
Extracurricular Involvement
Community Service Engagement
Summer Activities
Work and Internship Experience
Testing
Financial Aid
Recommendations
Application Submission
“What is the span of 50 years?
It is just enough time to
completely change the world.”
Eric Lander, co-founder of the human genome project, speaks of being allotted roughly 50 years to change the world. In good health, we will work from our early 20's after graduation to our early 70's.
With that in mind, if, through giving high-quality college admissions guidance, we can get 1 Million students from underserved areas to and through college, then their next 50 years just improved significantly.
And by proxy, the world gets better by 50 Million Years.
Come join us on this mission. It's big. It's grand. It's a realistic moonshot that we believe will work.
The Team
Our team is made up of experts in education and leaders in business philanthropy. The combination of diverse perspectives and deep domain expertise will allow us to scale high quality college admissions guidance to students in underserved, at-risk districts for the first time in history.
Get Involved
become a mentor
The critical role a mentor can play in a student’s life cannot be underestimated. If you are willing to take a student under your wing please get in touch!
Donate
Our goal is to provide this service to students at no cost. We need your help! Choose to donate and fund a student, a school, or a custom amount.
Volunteer
If you have counseling experience, or if you speak Spanish and can help us with translation, or if you are skilled in data entry, please reach out!