BigFuture: College and Career Readiness

BigFuture’s mission is to ensure every student has free resources to plan for life after high school.  Listen as Greg Rafal, Director of BigFuture Program Implementation at College Board, shares how they are focused on supporting all students plan for their future.  He also discusses the importance of consistent college and career guidance for our military-connected students, and how BigFuture is helping do just that.   This podcast is made possible by generous funding from the Sheppard Spouses’ Club. To learn more, visit  https://sheppardspousesclub.org/.           Audio mixing by Concentus Media, Inc., Temple, Texas.   Show Notes:   Resources:   MCEC Global Training Summit Pre-Summit Professional Development Don’t miss Greg Rafal’s session at the Global Training Summit. Distinguished Lecture Session, Tuesday, July 30, 2024 Where Students Can Own Their Future In 2021, the College Board published research that showed students were 25% more likely to attend college and 31% were more likely to complete a bachelor’s degree after connecting with colleges and scholarship programs through the College Board Student Search Service™. Using the College Board BigFuture School mobile app can help students plan for college and career options after high school, and even empower students to drive their own conversations with colleges and scholarship providers across the country by joining the Student Search Service™. Learn from the Director of the BigFuture Program Implementation himself, Gregory Rafal, on how to find and support military-connected students with free tools and resources that can help them get ready for their next big adventure.   https://www.militarychild.org/event/gts/gts-register/    The College Board https://www.collegeboard.org/   BigFuture https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/   Student Search Service https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/student-search-service   Bio:  Greg Rafal is the Director of BigFuture Program Implementation at College Board. In this role, his focus is to increase K-12 and caring adult awareness of BigFuture and to lead the BigFuture Live virtual community event strategy. Prior to his role at College Board, he worked in higher education. Most recently he was at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business where he oversaw global programs for undergraduate and MBA students.  He also worked in international student admissions and student affairs at several other institutions.  He received his MA in International Education and Training from American University and BA in Spanish/Political Science from Christopher Newport University. Greg is originally from northern Virginia and is based in Washington, DC.