Valerie Gary, M.S.Ed., is a New York native, educator, and founder of Campus Passport, an organization she launched in 2025 to help students confidently navigate the journey to and through college. With experience spanning K–12 school counseling, program leadership, undergraduate and graduate admissions, and college success mentorship, Valerie has dedicated her career to helping students discover who they are, how to make informed decisions, and the steps necessary to pursue their educational aspirations.

 

Early in her career, Valerie recognized that many students, including herself, were making one of the largest financial and life decisions with limited exposure to colleges, little understanding of the resources available to them, and few opportunities to thoughtfully reflect on which environment would best support their success. She also saw firsthand, as a School Counselor at a Title I school how students from under-resourced communities often lacked access to the same college preparation, enrichment experiences, and individualized guidance that more affluent families could readily obtain.

 

Determined to help close that gap, Valerie has intentionally sought opportunities to deepen her own knowledge through professional experiences, strategic partnerships, research, and campus visits across the country. She believes knowledge should be shared, not kept, and that every student deserves equitable access to the information, experiences, and support needed to make informed decisions about their future. Whether she is connecting students to academic enrichment opportunities, strengthening college readiness skills through workshops, or developing resources that promote college persistence, Valerie's purpose remains the same: to expand access, empower informed decision-making, and help students from historically underrepresented and under-resourced communities not only enroll in college but thrive and graduate from college.

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