Episode 1: “Understanding College Admissions”
On Thursday, March 3rd, Akil hosted an exclusive LIVE conversation event on Facebook with Common App President and CEO Jenny Rickard, Los Angeles-based college counselor Candice Mackey, and high-school senior Sadira to answer your most pressing questions about college admissions, like:
How do I prepare to apply to college?
What are colleges looking for?
How do I choose a college?
What is different about college admissions in 2022?
Our Guests
About Akil Bello
Akil Bello is an educator, speaker, entrepreneur, and nationally recognized authority on standardized testing with over 30 years of experience. Learn more about Akil
About Jenny Rickard
Jenny Rickard is President & Chief Executive Officer of Common App, a not-for-profit membership organization committed to the pursuit of access, equity, and integrity in the college admission process. Each year, more than one million students, one-third of whom are first-generation, apply to college through Common App’s online application.
About Candice Mackey
Candice Mackey has served as a school and college counselor working closely with multicultural and diverse student populations for over a decade. She is currently the College Counselor at Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies – LACES Magnet, the first magnet school in LAUSD in the second-largest district in the country.
Episode 2: “What Should You Pay For College?”
Paying for a college education is one of the biggest financial decisions one can make. Tuition and fees can range from $10,000 to $60,000 per year, and up. We are often asked, “Is this investment worth it?” “Should I pay extra for a private college?” “Which colleges will provide the best value?” On Thursday, May 12th, Akil brought together a team of experts to help families tackle important questions, debunk the myths, and manage emotions around What Should You Pay For College?
How do I prepare to apply to college?
What are colleges looking for?
How do I choose a college?
What is different about college admissions in 2022?
Our Guests
About Akil Bello
Akil Bello is an educator, speaker, entrepreneur, and nationally recognized authority on standardized testing with over 30 years of experience. Learn more about Akil
About Ron Lieber
Ron Lieber, who lives in Brooklyn, NY, with his wife and two daughters, has been the Your Money columnist for The New York Times since 2008. His most recent book is "The Price You Pay for College: An Entirely New Road Map for the Biggest Financial Decision Your Family Will Ever Make," and he also published "The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money" in 2015. Both were instant New York Times bestsellers. Learn more about Ron.
About Sara Urquidez
Sara Urquidez’s passion for college access led her to the Academic Success Program (ASP), which works with students, parents, teachers, counselors, administrators, and college admissions officers to ensure that students from all backgrounds in Dallas-Fort Worth can access a college education. Learn more about Sara.
About Damien Hooper-Campbell
Damien Hooper-Campbell has more than 20 years of expertise in recruiting, leadership development, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) and community engagement. Most recently, Damien served as the first Chief Diversity Officer at Zoom Video Communications, where he built Zoom's inaugural DEI and University Recruiting practices, globally. Before Zoom, Damien had a distinguished career building university recruiting and DEI programs at eBay, Google and Uber. Damien graduated with a BA in Economics from Morehouse College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Learn more about Damien.