Sept. 13, 2021

A new program at the Coalition for College brings together 16 admissions professionals from member schools to collaborate on nationally coordinated and regionally impactful college access work.

Coalition Ambassadors, chosen for their commitment to helping more under-served students learn about, prepare for, and apply to college, will work together throughout the coming year to identify and carry out strategies for sharing the organization’s free college-planing tools with students who are first-generation, limited-income and historically underrepresented in higher education.

“I was that low-income, first-generation student from the Southside of Chicago who had no idea how to maneuver through the college process,” says Donnell Wright, assistant director of admissions at Virginia Tech and a member of the inaugural group of Coalition Ambassadors.

Wright applied to join the program as an extension of his career goals to help students and communities access affordable higher education. “I have a passion for removing barriers for students to be successful, and the Coalition for College has built a platform which does exactly that.” 

The Ambassador program builds on the Coalition’s work to connect its 150+ member schools with community-based college access organizations, as well as expanding the kinds of direct outreach and support provided to students.

In addition to connecting with community-based organizations and students via in-person and virtual events, Coalition Ambassadors will build connections with each other, as well as leaders in the college access and enrollment management fields. The professional development component of the program is designed to provide early- and mid-career professionals who are committed to access and inclusion with the opportunity for networking and professional growth. Each Ambassador has support from leadership at their home institution for participating in the program.

“Our hopes for this program are two-fold,” says Stacey Kostell, CEO of the Coalition for College. “Reaching and serving more students is our first priority, especially as under-served communities continue to disproportionately face the effects of the pandemic,” she says. “Longer term, we hope to continue to shift the field of admissions and enrollment management toward more equitable practices, and we believe that a professional development program that centers access and equity is an important part of that work.”

Related links

• Coalition events

• Member schools

Meet the inaugural cohort of Coalition Ambassadors

Amethyst Black
Assistant Director of Access & Inclusion, Rice University

Daniela Carillo
Assistant Director of Admission, St. Edward’s University

Sierra Colón
Admissions Counselor, Eastern Connecticut State University

Nadia Flores
Assistant Director of Admission, Knox College

MariaFernanda Gomez Gonzalez
Greater Orange County Coordinator, Arizona State University

Guy Hatch
Senior Assistant Director of Admissions,
Kenyon College

Sebastian Ivory
Assistant Dean of Admission, Wesleyan University

Yulia Korovikov
Associate Dean & Director of Recruitment,
Swarthmore College

Troy Lazaro
Senior Associate Director of Multicultural Recruitment, University of Massachusetts - Lowell

Kim McCullough
Assistant Director for Diversity & Access, University of North Carolina Charlotte

Ian McLean
Senior Admissions Officer, Columbia University

MyKella Mitchell
Senior Admissions Counselor for Diversity Access and Equity, Arcadia University

Jesse Tomczak
Associate Director of Admissions, American University

Josh Wilkinson
Associate Director of Admissions for Communications, Bucknell University

Justin Wilson
Assistant Director of Admission, Washington University in St. Louis

Donnell Wright
Assistant Director of Admissions, Virginia Tech