Early Career and College Awareness

Ayinde is the Postsecondary Access Manager at the UA. He previously served as the Director of College Counseling with the CollegeBound Initiative at Williamsburg Prep HS, focusing on equitable counseling practices, college access and ensuring college success. He earned his BA in Sociology from Concordia University in Montreal and his MA in Educational Leadership, Politics and Advocacy from NYU in 2019. Ayinde has been working in various areas of education for over a decade. He started his career teaching a summer school Social Studies class in San Francisco for two years, and then developed an after school literacy program that used hip-hop as a medium to encourage creative writing and the exploration of identity for high school students in Montreal. He transitioned into working as a Case Manager for young people in the foster care system, but eventually returned to focusing on the higher education landscape as a college success counselor, ultimately furthering his commitment to ensuring that our young people complete their post secondary education.

As Deputy Director of Career Readiness at the UA, Rachael provides coaching, training, and program management support to UA schools in order to develop or enhance their Career Pathways and CTE programs. Rachael has spent over a decade in urban education in various capacities, including teaching Pre-AP English, serving as a Grade Level Chair, and envisioning and designing a Freshman Seminar course for her district.

She also created a leadership training institute in which she coached promising upperclassmen in interpersonal communication skills, character development, conflict resolution, time management, and public speaking. Prior to joining the UA, Rachael served as a Career Coach at the Flatiron School, where she helped graduates make dramatic career pivots and land their first jobs in the tech industry. Rachael holds a BA in Business Administration and Marketing from Texas A&M University.

As Deputy Director of College Access, Robyn works to support and develop the college counselors across the UA's network of schools. A New York native, Robyn has provided college access support to NYC non-profit organizations for over 10 years. Prior to coming to the UA, Robyn was the Director of College Counseling as part of an inaugural team of educators at a 6 – 12 public school in the Bronx. Robyn works to ensure students not only have access to higher education, but the skills needed to succeed and graduate. Robyn earned a BA in Journalism and a Masters in Higher Education from the University of Maine. Robyn is also an active member of CACNY, NYSACAC and NACAC.