Think clearly about college before it starts.
A 6-session virtual workshop for college-bound students who want to make intentional decisions, not just get in and hope for the best.
Your child’s future deserves more than guesswork.
The Future Starts with a Plan
You've walked alongside your child for years — guiding, encouraging, supporting. And now the big question looms: what's next?
Regardless of the path chosen, the same fundamental challenges emerge: How will they navigate this crucial transition? How will they build the skills they actually need? How will they find opportunities that truly move them forward?
WHO IS THIS FOR
Built for students ready to think differently
This program is for students who:
Are college-bound and preparing for their first
Want thoughtful choices instead of defaulting to pressure
Feel capable but unsure how college systems work
Want to enter with a plan they can adapt
Are open to real thinking, not just worksheets
Especially helpful for:
High-achieving students feeling pressure to "do everything right"
First-generation college students navigating unfamiliar systems
Students wanting more clarity than traditional advising provides
Sophomores looking for more clarity regarding how to best use their college experience
Families seeking preparation beyond applications and test scores
What Makes This Different
Beyond Getting In
Most college prep focuses on acceptance. This program focuses on what happens next — navigating the first year successfully.
No Generic Advice
Students build a working first-year plan grounded in their priorities, skills, capacity, and how college systems actually function.
A Thinking Course
This is not motivational. It teaches students how to think through decisions, not what to choose.
"College acceptance is not the finish line. What matters is how students navigate the first year once they arrive."
PROGRAM DETAILS
Scholars: First-Year College Planning Workshop
Format
6 live virtual sessions, 90 minutes each. Intentionally designed cohorts for focus and depth.
Structure
Each session combines short framing lectures, structured individual work, guided peer calibration, and clear take-home outputs.
Too many students graduate high school without a concrete plan. College-bound students drift through their first years. Parents worry from the sidelines. And young adults stumble through what should be their most exciting chapter.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
Outcome
Students build a single master planning document across all sessions, becoming the foundation for their first-year plan.
The Six Sessions
Through six dynamic live sessions, students learn to develop six core competencies that serve them regardless of their chosen path:
01
Decisions
What actually matters in your first year. Identify academic, social, and wellbeing decisions and learn to work through them.
02
Resources
How to ask for help without guessing. Learn how college systems work and practice forming clear, effective questions.
03
Skills
Translating experience into capability. Identify real skills you have and explain them clearly in college contexts.
04
Opportunities
Choosing what to pursue (and what not to). Evaluate opportunities realistically and decide where to invest time and energy.
05
Wellbeing
Staying steady when things get hard. Identify predictable stress patterns and build simple, realistic response plans.
06
Launch
Synthesizing a first-year plan with AI support. Use AI as a thinking partner to create a clear, adaptable plan you own.
The First Year Action Plan Advantage
Big visions only matter when they translate into concrete action. That's why every student walks away with a detailed First Year Action Plan — a practical, step-by-step roadmap that makes their first moves toward success absolutely inevitable.
Parents gain peace of mind knowing exactly what their child is working toward. Students build confidence through early wins that create unstoppable momentum.
This isn’t just “college prep” or “job training”. This is comprehensive life design.
How AI is used (and why)
AI is not used to make decisions for students. In the final session, students use AI to synthesize their own thinking, clarify priorities, stress-test assumptions, and revise their first-year plan until it reflects their intent.
Students learn how to evaluate AI output, not blindly accept it. This builds judgment, not dependence.
This is a thinking course. AI serves as a tool for reflection and synthesis, helping students articulate what they already know.
About Your Guide
Quinton Stroud helps students understand how to actually use college.
Most students are told to go to class, get good grades, and graduate.
No one shows them how college really works—or how to turn it into opportunity.
For families investing significant time, money, and trust into college, that gap matters.
Quinton’s work sits at the intersection of education systems, policy, and real student experience.
He holds a PhD in Education Policy Studies from Indiana University and a master’s degree in Education, Culture, and Society from the University of Pennsylvania. He has taught at the collegiate level, including courses on the history of American education, and has been recognized with both the Associate Instructor of the Year and Student Choice awards.
His experience spans supporting families navigating complex school systems in Atlanta Public Schools and contributing to education policy research and evaluation at a nonprofit think tank. Today, his work focuses on how education is evolving, including how students and institutions are adapting to the rise of AI.
What he’s seen is consistent:
Students aren’t struggling because they lack ability.
They’re struggling because no one has shown them how to move.
And too often, they realize that too late.
While teaching, he began integrating real-world strategy into his courses—helping students think beyond assignments and start making decisions about their lives. That work became ReadyGenZ.
Now, he works as a guide helping students:
Build relationships that open doors
Turn what they’re learning into real skills
Secure meaningful opportunities before graduation
Make clear decisions about what comes next
Because college can open doors.
But only if you know how to use it.
Students Walk Away With…
Clear First-Year Plan
A written, actionable plan they understand and can adapt as circumstances change.
Decision Language
Clear language to explain their decisions without defensiveness or uncertainty.
Systems Confidence
Expanded understanding of how to navigate unfamiliar and complex systems.
Evaluation Tools
Frameworks for evaluating opportunities and making strategic tradeoffs.
Repeatable Thinking
A way of thinking they can use beyond college for any major transition.
Start Planning Your Dreams Now. Don’t wait for “someday.”
Program Investment
This program is offered using a tiered pricing model so families can choose the level of investment that aligns with their current circumstances. All students receive the same core experience, curriculum, and outcomes. The difference is simply how families choose to invest in the work.
Full Investment — $699
For families who are in a position to invest fully in their student's growth and future. This tier helps sustain the program and allows us to continue offering access to others.
You receive:
Full 6-session Scholars and Builders program
All tools, templates, and planning frameworks
Live instruction, coaching, and cohort experience
Final First Year Launch Plan
Standard Investment — $497
For families who are able to invest meaningfully, but prefer a more moderate option. This is the most commonly selected tier.
You receive:
Everything included in the full program
No difference in experience or access
Accessible Investment — $297
For families who want their student to participate but need a lower entry point. This tier exists to ensure that cost is not the barrier to participation.
You receive:
The complete program experience
Full access to all sessions, materials, and outcomes
How to Choose
We trust families to select the tier that reflects both the value of the program to your student and your current financial reality. No application is required.
Your Child's Launchpad Starts Here
Your child doesn't need to have every answer figured out today. They simply need the skills, support system, and strategic framework to take their next step forward with genuine confidence and clear direction.
✨ Imagine the profound relief of knowing they have both an inspiring big-picture vision and a concrete action plan to immediately put that vision into motion.
Picture the pride you'll feel watching them navigate their transition with intention, purpose, and the tools they need to adapt and thrive no matter what opportunities or challenges arise.
This is the beginning of their personalized launchpad into adulthood.