Where some of Lucent’s core values and missions come from…

I came from a family that didn’t have a lot, but always had enough; we tried the test prep classes and bought all the different brands of prep books.  But for the most part, I knew what I wanted, was organized, and had a family that supported my goals.  I was lucky enough to have older cousins that stumbled through the college applications process and gave me tips on the general system since my parents did not attend undergraduate school in the US.  There was one big gap that I had as a senior in high school in comparison to applying to graduate school – I had no network of people to help critically read and support out of the box thinking for writing an impactful college application essay.

This revelation, in conjunction with my other passion (I run a non-profit that has programs for children and families of all incomes), led me to where Lucent Education is right now.  Working with low-income families as a college student, I realized how income, circumstances, and lack of resources and knowledge affected a child’s success in preschool and then elementary school.  It just wasn’t fair that those with the income also had all of these other “tricks” in their bag to give their children the best possible chance at success.

I knew that the very young children I was working with could compete on a level playing field with those of middle or above incomes if the families just had the knowledge on how to acquire resources and the best possible education for their children.  These ideas translate to my passion for what we do at Lucent; I know that we can fill the gap in the knowledge and bring more “tricks” to a student’s bag that they may not have had access to otherwise.  I want to fill a gap in the application process that is affordable, high quality, and fits into the rest of the natural (and many times free!) college application mentors that are available to the typical high school senior.
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-Agnes