Meet the Fellows
Our mission is rooted in supporting leaders who challenge inequitable systems and elevate student voice. These fellows represent the very best of that vision: practitioners who will transform advising and guidance practices to ensure that every student, regardless of background, can thrive beyond high school.
- Scholars Equity Network
In 2025, Scholars Equity Network partnered with the Center for Equity and Postsecondary Attainment (CEPA) at San Diego State University to fund mini-grants for the National School Counselor Fellows Program.
This two-year fellowship equips school counselors from across the country to lead systems-level change in postsecondary advising, dismantling barriers that limit college and career opportunities for historically underserved students. SEN's investment supports fellows in implementing equity-driven projects that align with our mission: transforming the systems that created barriers in the first place, not just helping individuals navigate them.
By funding school counselors leading change in their communities, we're expanding our reach beyond our GMS network and investing in the educators who shape postsecondary pathways for the next generation.
K-12 Career Development & Experienceship Program
Pickford Public Schools, Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Jessica Tibbits
Jessica is building a comprehensive K-12 college and career readiness system in a rural school where 45% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, 24% identify as Native American, and many are first-generation college-going students.
Through hands-on career exploration—including 21 field trips across Michigan and bringing 80+ industry representatives into her school—she achieved a 20% increase in college enrollment and ensured 100% of seniors graduated with concrete post-secondary plans. Her district has now adopted a Universal FAFSA policy, cementing the systemic change she's creating for future students.
Quan Neloms
Quan is using documentary filmmaking to counter stereotype threat and empower African American students in Detroit to author their own achievement narratives. Through The ADAPT Narrative (Awareness, Development, Achievement, Pride, Triumph), students create films that challenge the negative portrayals reinforced in mainstream media—building self-efficacy, postsecondary vision, and community pride in the process. After successfully piloting the project at Southeastern High School, Quan is expanding to Detroit's Brightmoor neighborhood while developing curriculum and professional development tools that train educators to recognize and interrupt internalized bias. His work transforms storytelling into a culturally sustaining practice that reshapes how students see themselves and how systems support first-generation students navigating college and career pathways.
The ADAPT Narrative: Counter-Storytelling for Postsecondary Identity
Wayne RESA, Detroit, Michigan