Columbus high schooler starts website to simplify college application process

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Two high school seniors, one local and one more than 10 hours away, are using the power of social media to help peers achieve collegiate success. 

So far, the organization known as the ‘Career Compass Coalition’ has gained a lot of traction. Now that the 2024-25 school year is underway, high school juniors and seniors may be starting to look into the college application process, which can be confusing. To help, a senior at Columbus Academy started the website with the goal of making it easier for students. 

In April of this year, the ‘Career Compass Coalition’ was started by two high school seniors, Isa Eribo and Sophia Sim. It was established as a nonprofit months later, in June. “I wanted to start this organization because I realized that going to a school like Columbus Academy, I have a lot more college resources and prep than a lot of the average high schoolers do out there,” said Isa Eribo, a senior at Columbus Academy and founder of the organization. 

Eribo, a senior at Columbus Academy, started the nonprofit with the help of her co-founder, Sophia Sim. The two live more than 10 hours apart. Sim attends a school in Oklahoma, the two haven’t met face to face, they connected through social media. “She posted about the courses she's taking her senior year and everything. So I was like, Oh, she seems like a nice, like, motivated student. I'll ask her if she's willing to lead this organization with me,” said Eribo. 

The idea for the organization was born when Eribo began getting stressed out with the college applications herself. She figured others would feel the same. The website allows others to join a Google Classroom, from there they get access to resources like resume and essay help, plus applying for scholarships. 

“It's all stuff that is online, but we just put it all in one place. So it's easier for students and motivates them more, and it's very organized and nice for them to use,” said Eribo. It’s been up and running for less than 6 months, but thanks to the help of the social media app, Tik Tok, the reach it's gotten continues to grow everyday.

“Around July there were around 5,000 students that I've helped and now we're at 11,000,” she said, “We've reached around 40 different states in the US and 100 countries.” Despite busy schedules, Eribo and Sim meet weekly to discuss new ideas. The pair even have the help from 15 staff members, located across the country, that contribute weekly content as well. Eribo says she loves receiving feedback, so she can better tailor the work to her audience. 

“The feedback has been great. That's definitely the driving force behind what we do. A lot of people just comment or some will go out of the way to email us about how they're feeling,” she said. The impact her nonprofit has made in such a short amount of time is something Eribo never thought was possible. But, she says she loves helping people and wants to continue to do that, even after high school. 

“I’m definitely going to continue doing this in college. I feel like I’ll have even more experience on the college application process once I graduate,” said Eribo, “Once I am a college freshman and actually live through it, I’m definitely going to make more tailored resources to a college freshman, particularly because I feel like that transition is probably the hardest from high school to college.” Eribo says she plans to accept new staff members every year.