(Courtesy/Isa E.)
When Isa E. was younger, she wanted to be many things: an actress, artist, scientist, and writer. As a senior now, Isa’s involvement reflects her ambition. Along with being an Alumni Board Representative, Service Board Shaper, Yearbook Editor, co-founder of the Mandarin Club, co-president of the Columbus Academy Health Occupations of America chapter, co-leader of the Black Organization of Students, and member of the tennis and track-and-field teams, she founded a nonprofit organization to help students with the college admissions process.
Currently applying to colleges herself, Isa realized how stressful the process is, complete with writing essays, building resumes, and submitting applications. However, her parents, older brothers, and college counselors have been her support system. Wanting to guide others and pass on the help she’s received, Isa created The Career Compass Coalition.
Today, her youth-led non-profit has established its social media presence and helped tens of thousands of students through resources on Google Classroom. From internships and scholarships to passion projects and essay tips, the Classroom is organized into 15 topics, with comprehensive information listed within each topic. 100% of proceeds are donated to buildOn, Pencils of Promise, and Room to Read—organizations that promote education for all.
The organization started as a TikTok page in April 2024, where Isa posted videos targeting young high school students, encouraging them to join her program for mentorship and advice. After not gaining as much traction as she’d hoped, she took a break and revived the account in June.
During this time, Isa connected with Sophia Sim, a high school senior in Oklahoma, who creates educational TikTok videos. They exchanged several messages, calls, and emails, before Isa asked Sophia to co-lead the organization. Then, the rest is history.
Their first viral video gained 166k+ views with the help of trending sounds and hashtags. As the Google Classroom populated, they launched Instagram and Linkedin accounts, and even a website to reach larger audiences. Riding the momentum into July, they filled out the 532B form for non-profit status in Ohio and applied for 501(c)(3) status to gain recognition on a national level. With both being granted, the organization officially became a non-profit; this means they can accept donations, grant service hours, and be exempted from tax, among other benefits.
Now, with 13k+ students spanning 100+ countries and 40+ states, plus 53 sections of Google Classroom (each one with 250 students), a natural question arises: how is the non-profit managed? The answer: internal leadership.
Isa and Sophia work with a select executive board and staff, composed of 15 members called “compasses” who guide the organization. Each Monday, Isa assigns the staff to create resources based on student feedback. Guides to graduate-level degrees and scholarships for international students are examples of student-requested information. Throughout the week, Isa and Sophia post one or two of the infographics each day, keeping the Google Classroom up-to-date. The executive board also manages social media and reaches out to other organizations.
With Google Forms collecting feedback, The Career Compass Coalition makes it easy for students to engage. They can provide college supplementals for inspiration or share helpful tips, which are compiled into resources like “AP Advice For Students, By Students.” Schools can also become involved by establishing local chapters, a process that requires an application and commitment to the organization. Internationally, there are 20 chapters to-date.
Isa dedicates one to two hours per day to her organization, managing it on top of homework, sports, extracurriculars, and applying to colleges herself. Her main roles include outreach, creating staff assignments, and responding to the floods of emails and messages asking for one-on-one guidance.
Being involved at Isa’s level brings many benefits: with her position as an Alumni Board Representative, she’s connected with an alum who works at Google. He introduced her to the organization Benevity, which brings in internet donations and support. Isa is now working with the Google Classroom team for a possible feature, as The Career Compass Coalition has promoted the use of Classroom internationally.
Creating a non-profit from scratch is hard work, but it sure is worth it. As Isa says, “The journey with the Career Compass Coalition has been both challenging and deeply rewarding. Seeing how we’ve been able to motivate over 13,000 students worldwide to feel more confident about their college applications and future career paths is incredibly fulfilling. Our goal is to continue expanding our reach and impact, providing even more students with the tools and resources they need to succeed. We hope to empower the next generation of leaders by simplifying the college application process and helping students discover the career paths that truly suit them.”
Check out The Career Compass Coalition website to get involved!
