The CBO Ad Hoc Committee administered a CBO Membership Survey and presented the results at the WACAC Conference. Based on the responses, CBO members – both former and current – valued the supportive WACAC community, the professional development opportunities offered at WACAC events, and the opportunity to network with fellow CBO counselors and college admission staff. Moving forward, CBO members would appreciate being supported by providing more of the same services but delivered in a more structured and organized manner, which birthed the following four initiatives/subcommittees listed below. If you are interested in joining one of the subcommittees, please fill out this Interest Form and the subcommittee lead will follow up.  

We also found that CBO members are quite diverse in their perspectives and experiences supporting students to and through college. Since CBOs are meeting the needs of the community they are directly serving, then their impact naturally differs – such as their approach, point of service, interventions, and so on. For example, two of the CBO Ad Hoc Committee Members represent organizations that may seem similar on the surface but they actually take on a different approach to college access – practical versus social-emotional interventions.

Learn more about their work below:
 

Juan Carrillo
Senior Director, College and Career Development
Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Orange Coast
Orange County, CA

What motivates you to serve students as a CBO Counselor? 

I believe every student deserves to reach their full potential. I believe in the power of mentorship as a critical component in helping a student reach their college and career goals.

What calls you to serve on the CBO Ad Hoc Committee? 

I believe in the power of collective impact. There is so much great work being done by even greater educators. I think we can do more for all of our students collectively.  

What do you hope to accomplish in the second year of the Ad Hoc Committee? 

I would like to provide CBO counselors with tools and resources to better serve their students. I would like to capture the great things being done across communities, package it in a concise and useful format, and share it with everyone. I would like to provide a resource center that is created by and for CBO counselors.

Barb Finley
Senior Post-Secondary Access Coordinator
Summer Search Bay Area
Oakland, CA

What motivates you to serve students as a CBO Counselor? 

I love working with high schoolers and helping them navigate their journey to higher education. As a CBO counselor, my goal is to increase awareness about higher education, remove barriers to access for marginalized students, and support and empower students to pursue their post-secondary dreams. I love my job!

What calls you to serve on the CBO Ad Hoc Committee? 

I’m excited to serve on the CBO Ad Hoc Committee to help increase CBO representation within WACAC and to increase programs and services to support the access work that we do as CBO counselors. I’ve always found WACAC to be a great resource for connection and professional development and want to share those opportunities with as many CBO counselors as possible.

What do you hope to accomplish in the second year of the Ad Hoc Committee? 

I’m hoping we’ll be able to introduce WACAC to CBO counselors who might not be familiar with our organization. I’ll be working with a subcommittee to outreach, help spread the word, and increase CBO membership within WACAC. I’m excited to let other CBOs know about the great resources available through WACAC and new initiatives to support and celebrate the work we do.