Olney-based Admissions Gambit to Provide Free College Admissions Guidance and Essay Advising to Rising High School Seniors of Underrepresented and Low-income Backgrounds

Olney-based Admissions Gambit announces it will provide free college admissions guidance and essay advising to rising high school seniors of underrepresented and low-income backgrounds. Additional details below per Admissions Gambit:
Admissions Gambit is proud to have been selected as a member of the Racial Equity portfolio at NewSchools Venture Fund, a national nonprofit that provides funding and support to innovators with bold ideas to reimagine learning and advance equity in education. With the investment from NewSchools, Admissions Gambit will provide free college admissions guidance and essay advising to rising high school seniors of underrepresented and low-income backgrounds. First-generation students are particularly encouraged to apply. The online application will go live in Spring 2023.

“My parents encouraged me to go to college, but I had no guidance on it as a first-generation student,” said Dr. Erwin Hesse, Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer of Admissions Gambit. Raised in a low-income, immigrant parent household, Dr. Hesse overcame various obstacles during his K-12 years. Barely graduating high school, his counselor told him his only two options were to “get a job or join the military.” Instead, Dr. Hesse enrolled at Montgomery College and earned two associates degrees, a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, a masters degree from the University of Baltimore, and a doctorate in education from Johns Hopkins. Dr. Hesse has worked in admissions offices at Maryland, Johns Hopkins, and Georgetown for over a decade reviewing thousands of applications, transcripts, and essays. In his last role at Amazon, Dr. Hesse created and led a national engagement program recruiting students from minority serving institutions to coveted tech and non-tech roles.

“This grant is a game changer for our students and their families. We feel honored to receive this prestigious grant and stand ready to make an impact in our community,” said Andrea Hesse, Cofounder and Chief Operating Officer of Admissions Gambit. Of a similar background to her husband, Mrs. Hesse faced great adversity to fund her secondary education, bachelor’s degree from University of Maryland, and graduate degree from University of Baltimore. She credits her education as the stepping stone to a fulfilling career in editing, marketing, and project management. “Many counseling departments are overworked and understaffed,” details Dr. Hesse. Unfortunately, the average high school counselor to student ratio in the US is 482-to-1. Admissions Gambit provides students and their parents a year-round educational consultant. Its services include advising on course selection, extracurricular activities, internships, summer programs, college choices, mock interviews, brainstorming essay topics, essay review sessions, and any other college admissions topic.

NewSchools made funding decisions through a process that shifts grant-making power to a diverse council of parents, students, and educators. They bring their own experiences, ideas, and concerns to discussions on solutions needed at this moment. The funded organizations are taking innovative approaches to disrupt racial inequities and advance the well-being and achievement of students in Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities across the country. In addition to funding, Admissions Gambit will receive management support from NewSchools and will join a national community of practice focused on advancing racial equity solutions.

About Admissions Gambit
As the college application process becomes more competitive, a recent survey found 160,000 students hire an independent educational consultant each year. Admissions Gambit’s mission to provide stellar one-on-one guidance complements their philosophy of affordable rates without sacrificing quality. With Admissions Gambit by their side, students and families will checkmate the college application process.

About NewSchools
NewSchools Venture Fund is a national nonprofit that supports and invests in promising teams of educators and innovators who want to reimagine learning. NewSchools helps teams accomplish their missions to achieve outstanding results for the schools, students, and educators they serve. NewSchools is committed to helping students graduate high school prepared and inspired to achieve their most ambitious dreams and plans. Through its investing, management assistance, network building, and thought leadership, NewSchools reimagines PreK-12 education.