This is my fourth year with College Access Plan (CAP), and thanks to the pandemic, no two school years have looked alike. Some years were in person, some were virtual, and some were a hybrid of the two. We've had to adapt, and then adapt again. What remains constant is CAP's unwavering commitment to provide high quality college advising for low-income and first generation students in the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD).

I am grateful to work in a space where the program is meaningfully informed by student feedback, where we carefully review our outcome data, and where my colleagues are never afraid to try something different if an existing practice isn't helping us meet our goals. Each year we step back, reflect, and improve upon what we did before, upgrading curricula, collaborating with new partners, and offering additional programs like the Writing Intensive for Seniors and College 101 for Juniors.

I believe CAP's openness to change is what every young person deserves. They deserve well-trained advisors who can model the same growth and learning that we ask of them.  They deserve support in planning for the future, whether they have it all figured out or they are still finding their feet in life. 

We don't always get it right, but I see how hard our team works to live up to this commitment. I'm proud to be a CAP staff member, and proud to ask for your support so that we can continue to offer free, high quality college prep and advising for every PUSD student who joins our program.