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mr_akilk

Akil K

@mr_akilk

Higher Education and College Access Strategy Consultant

United States
English
About me
I am a Post-Secondary Planning Consultant and the founder of ForeThought Consulting with nearly 20 years of experience helping students and families navigate the journey from college acceptance to completion. I specialize in college counseling, admissions strategy, and curriculum development for schools and non-profits. My mission is to ensure that getting into college is not the final goal, but rather staying in and graduating. My work is not limited to scholars and their families. I also design and facilitate, virtual or in person, professional-development workshops. ... Read more

Skills

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mr_akilk
Akil K
Offline • 

See my services

College Admission Consulting
I will create your personalized college plan strategy
From$295 / projectMore details

Portfolio

Work experience

Founding Director

ForeThought Consulting LLC • Self-employed

Jan 2008 - Present • 18 yrs 10 mos

I've partnered with secondary schools and community-based organizations to bring college access and postsecondary planning support to students who need it most — many of them first-generation, college-bound students navigating the process for the first time. My work spans one-on-one postsecondary advisement, financial aid and FAFSA guidance, curriculum design, and facilitating career and education workshops and panels — always with an eye toward building long-term relationships with the schools and organizations I serve.

College_Track

College Counseling Director

College Track • Full-time

Sep 2024 - Aug 2026 • 1 yr 11 mos

I led college access and postsecondary success strategy at the site level, translating organizational priorities into a matriculation plan that moves first-generation scholars toward a bachelor's degree. I managed and coached a team of College Counselors, built the systems we use to track student progress in real time, and personally advised a caseload of juniors and seniors through college applications, FAFSA, financial aid, and scholarship processes. I also maintained relationships with our community and high school partners, and led our early FAFSA completion beta testing in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education as part of our site-level overall college-going strategy, keeping our on-the-ground postsecondary advisement aligned with organization-wide college access goals.

DC_College Access Program

Associate Program Manager

DC College Access Program • Full-time

Oct 2018 - Jun 2024 • 5 yrs 8 mos

I managed retention programming and partnerships across a network of 14 higher education institutions, working to keep the postsecondary success experience consistent no matter which partner campus a student landed on. That meant running college access engagement events (virtual and in-person), collaborating cross-departmentally to solve resourcing challenges, and handling sensitive student data with care — all in service of keeping first-generation and underserved students connected and supported through matriculation and graduation.