ASP Staff

Sara Urquidez’s passion for college access led her to the Academic Success Program (ASP), which works with students, parents, teachers, counselors, administrators, and college admissions officers to ensure that students from all backgrounds can access an affordable college education.

She first started as an ASP volunteer and took over as the Hillcrest High School college advisor in November 2012. Sara’s students earned more than $6 million in scholarships within 6 months, including the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship. Sara’s students were successfully admitted to UChicago, Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth, Duke, Columbia, Rice, Stanford, and many other universities.

Shortly after her seniors graduated from high school, Sara took over as Executive Director. During her tenure, she has expanded the ASP network from 3 high schools in the Dallas Independent School District to 27 schools throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and Houston, serving more than 30,000 students each year. 

Sara advocates for all students throughout the country by participating in multiple professional associations and scholarship committees. She serves on Executive Board of the Coalition for College, as well as the counselor advisory boards of Caltech, University of Pennsylvania, The University of Texas at Austin, and the Common Application.

Sara presents regularly on college admissions, access, and student issues at the National Association of College Admissions Counseling (NACAC), the National College Attainment Network (NCAN), College Board Forum, AP National Conference, College Board’s Dream Deferred conference, and the Texas Association of College Admissions Counseling (TACAC).

Students and Families: Connect with Ms. Perez

Set up your Bryan Adams SCOIR account!

Marietta Perez is excited to serve as the College Advisor for Bryan Adams High School.  As a Dallas ISD and ASP alumni, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University. Similar to many first-generation and low-income students, Marietta was appreciative of the opportunities that came with attending a private research institution.

After witnessing and experiencing the disparity of support between underrepresented and more socio-economically advantaged students at four year institutions, Marietta was inspired to help write a different story. She is thrilled to advocate for underserved communities in their journey to higher education. Marietta is eager to uplift and support the amazing students of Dallas ISD during this new chapter of their lives. When she is not building college lists and editing essays, Marietta can be found finding the next best dishes in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

Students & Families: Book a Virtual Appointment with Ms. Davis

Set up your Hillcrest SCOIR account!

Lexus Davis is excited to serve as the College Advisor for Hillcrest High School. Originally from West Philadelphia, she received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Peace & Justice Studies from Gettysburg College.

Consistently asking the bigger questions of life, Lexus is always questioning institutional structures and looking for different solutions. Some examples include “how do I get to college” and “how do I succeed once I am there,” especially as someone who identifies as First-Gen. Lexus is an avid social justice advocate and is devoted to providing culturally diverse and underrepresented students the same opportunities afforded to her throughout her academic and professional career. 

From cliff jumping in Nicaragua to wood carving in Indonesia, Lexus is like finding Waldo because who knows what her next adventure will be. When she is not off on an adventure, literally chasing waterfalls or editing essays, she is trying a new recipe, learning new dances, or painting.

Cierra Cotton is delighted to serve as the Lead College Advisor for North Dallas High School. She is a native of Baltimore, MD, who has called Dallas home since 2016. A graduate of Fordham University in New York City, she holds a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and had the opportunity to train and perform with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater as a college student. Upon graduation, Cierra discovered a love for working with youth and has worked as a dance educator for over fifteen different schools & organizations across five states.

Before becoming a college advisor, Cierra spent five years working for Behind Every Door as the Director of Student Life at The Hive and The Rose Community Center: where she oversaw the daily operations and developed educational programming for K-12 students.  In 2020, she was named one of D Magazine’s Front-Line Heroes for her commitment to providing educational tools, financial resources, and meal assistance to under-resourced families in Dallas. Her extensive experience building relationships with and developing programming for youth and families in low-income and underserved communities allowed her to see first-hand the lack of support her students had when pursuing higher education. Cierra believes that college should be accessible and affordable for all and is passionate about helping students realize their true potential. She is  excited to be back for year 2 and looks forward to further growing the college-going culture within North Dallas. 

When she isn’t working with students, Cierra loves traveling, writing, teaching dance classes, thrift shopping, visiting museums, volunteering, and is always on the lookout for new vegetarian & vegan restaurants in the DFW area.   

Milagros Garcia is really excited to embark on her second year as a College Advisor at Molina High School. Born and raised in Oak Cliff, she graduated from Dallas ISD. From there, Milagros attended the University of Rochester in western New York where she majored in English: Language, Media and Communications. After working in admissions and spending some time in the corporate workplace, Milagros realized that her passion truly lied in college access and helping students. Through her experience advocating for students, she grew to understand the disparities of access and lack of resources in her own community. This is why she sought out to work for ASP.

When Milagros isn’t thinking about essays, financial aid, and college applications she enjoys dancing salsa, bachata, merengue and any other latin dance that gets her feet moving. She also enjoys visiting museums, attending musicals, and spending time with her cat, Trixie.

Kristen Phillips is ready to help the students of Seagoville High School achieve their higher education goals! A little about Kristen; although born and raised in Grand Prairie, Texas she left home just a few short hours away to attend Texas A&M University (WHOOP!) in the Fall of 2018, majoring in International Studies.

During her second year in school, she started working with the university’s admissions office to provide a current student perspective to prospective students! This was where her love for higher education began! After helping her university for three years, she was ready to inspire more students! She’s excited to answer questions from parents and support students through their individual college processes, watch them shine wherever they go, while also making it affordable!

Outside of her love for helping students, during the Fall season find her watching every second of every college football game, especially the Aggies! She’s a big traveler and has been very blessed to have seen many parts of the world, her favorite being Istanbul, Turkey (a study abroad she did in school)! When she’s not traveling or watching a game she’s spending time with family or practicing her makeup skills! Don’t be shy, come say hi to Ms. Kristen Phillips! 🙂

Maylee Castillo is thrilled to be the college advisor for Sunset High School! Maylee is a Dallas native, born and raised in Oak Cliff and a proud DISD and ASP Alum! Ms. Castillo graduated from the University of North Texas with a BA in Political Science and a minor in Women and Gender Studies. Being a first generation graduate herself, Maylee is a strong advocate for accessibility to higher education for ALL! 

Maylee often finds herself making fun coffee drinks at her home coffee bar and hanging out with her 2 fluffy Pomeranians when not helping students find an affordable college option to fit their needs. Maylee looks most forward to meeting all of the new faces at Sunset High School and working toward their bright futures!

Aisosa Ede-Osifo is excited to work as the College Advisor for Townview Magnet Center’s HSHP, SBM, and SEM schools. Aisosa is a recent graduate from Gettysburg College, located in Pennsylvania,  where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Health Sciences. Aisosa is enthusiastic about college access and affordability and has co-sponsored numerous professional development workshops and conversations on her college campus.

A proponent of higher education, Aisosa studied subjects concerning equity and access alongside a rigorous science curriculum. She was fascinated to learn that higher educational attainment directly influences health and overall long-term prosperity. Inspired by her own education and the stories of her peers who struggled to complete the increasingly complex college application process, Aisosa eagerly awaits meeting with students and families to begin their college journeys. The motto of her alma mater is, “do great work,” and that is exactly what Aisosa wants to do with her students!

Some of her interests beyond college access include running, hiking, and sightseeing. In fact, you might even see her attempting to complete local Dallas half-marathons!

Ms. Bianca Portillo is excited to serve as a College Advisor for W.H Adamson High School. As a first-generation Salvadoran-American and first-generation college graduate, Ms. Portillo is passionate about giving back to her community. She is proud to hail from Hollywood, Florida, and is proud to be Salvadoran-American. Ms. Portillo is a UNT graduate and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in International Studies. 

Ms. Portillo has previously worked with the wonderful staff and students of W.H Adamson as an English I Honors teacher for the P-TECH department for 2 school years. After transitioning out of the classroom Ms. Portillo worked for Communities In Schools-Dallas Region as a Site Coordinator for Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD.

Ms. Portillo has made it a mission to empower, support, and encourage students of all backgrounds to achieve their dreams and aspirations. She believes strongly in making education accessible, meaningful, and impactful for students of all economic and social backgrounds. 

Kaimen Goudy is excited to serve as the College Advisor for W.T. White High School. As an ASP alumni, she recently graduated from The University of Texas at Austin where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Government. Kaimen passionately believes that every student should have an equal opportunity to receive a higher education; she co-founded the Equity and Inclusion Committee on her college campus. 

Growing up, Kaimen moved around a lot. Due to this, she attended 13 different K-12 schools.  This upbringing allowed her to attend schools in various geographical, cultural, and educational settings. This transient beginning afforded her the opportunity to acquire a unique perspective of the education system. After witnessing the lack of an equitable education system for underrepresented and low-income students across the country, she became passionate about challenging the institutional systems and being a part of the solutions. As an ASP alumni she has first-hand knowledge of how significant an individual college advisor is to a student during the college application process. Through ASP, Kaimen had that much-needed support in high school and is overjoyed to now be that support for her students. 

Ms. Goudy also enjoys cooking, reading, traveling, photography, visiting museums, and musicals.

Maxine Hernandez is thrilled to serve as a College Advisor for W.T. White High School. She was born and raised in Dallas County and graduated from Texas Tech University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with minors in Spanish and Chemistry.

As a first generation student herself, she understands how difficult and daunting the college process can be and is determined to help teach students about all opportunities that are available to them to pursue their own dreams and futures. 

In her free time Ms. Hernandez enjoys spending time with her fiancé, cuddling up on her couch with her two cats, crocheting and reading. 

Cailyn Byrd is the Dean of College Advising at International Leadership Texas Arlington-Grand Prairie High School. She went to Abilene Christian University where she received her Bachelors and Masters in Social Work. This will be my fifth year on the ASP Team. She worked as our ASP Alumni Coordinator for a year, before getting to do work with our students on the high school level. 

She remembers feeling very isolated and limited in knowledge during her own college application journey. She loves that she gets to be in a place to help students and families avoid those feelings. Ms. Byrd’s that we all get to work through this process together, and create the best solutions for the next generation of college students. Finding success and hope in every student’s story is what she looks forward to most.

Sara Morgan is the Dean of College Advising at ILTexas Garland High School and the Director of Community Relations. She previously served as the College Advisor for Seagoville High School, the Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy, and Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School. 

Sara grew up in the DFW Metroplex and went on to graduate from Syracuse University with a BA in International Relations and Geography. During high school, Sara spent her summers in Mexico studying Spanish and learning to think critically about privilege and global inequality. During college, she continued to immerse herself in the Spanish language by studying abroad in Santiago, Chile, focusing her degree on Latin American studies, and volunteering with the United Farm Workers of Syracuse, NY.

After graduating, Sara took the long way back to Texas. Her journey has included stops working for a Burmese-run human rights organization on the Thai-Burma border, teaching high school government in American Samoa, leading groups of students building water infrastructure in Ecuador, and creating environmental education programs in the Adirondacks for two museums. She travelled extensively in all of these regions and loves the thrill of backpacking solo – especially the relationships across borders and cultures it forges.

Sara is excited to continue to help the AMAZING students of ASP showcase their strengths and navigate this pivotal moment of their lives. 

Larisa Kliman serves as the ASP Director of Special Programs and Dean of College Advising for the ILTexas Keller-Saginaw High School. This is her seventh school year with ASP, and she’s excited to return to her first school, KSHS. In 2018, she worked with a group of students to start the ASP Ambassador Program – a student-led organization that focuses on peer-to-peer mentoring about the college process. The ASP Ambassadors are now at every ASP campus!

Ms. Kliman holds a B.S in Psychology and an M.S. in Higher Education Administration. Ms. Kliman previously worked as an admissions counselor, but she wanted to work more closely and consistently with students and decided to move to the other side of the desk as a college advisor. Ms. Kliman loves getting to know her students and helping them navigate the not-so-scary world of college applications. She is extremely passionate about higher education and making sure every student has an affordable college option. When she’s not editing essays, Ms. Kliman enjoys traveling, cooking, and spoiling her dog, Rosie. 

Sunny Korie is honored to be a part of ASP and is excited to be working as the College Advisor for International Leadership Texas Lancaster-Desoto High School. 

She was raised in Florida and is a proud alum of the University of Florida (UF). Through studying Psychology and Education and her involvement in various student organizations at UF, she developed a passion for the field of Education and knew that she wanted to serve in a position that would allow her to ignite the same passion in other students. She ventured off to Texas to earn a masters in Educational Administration at the University of Texas at Austin and now has over 10 years of experience in the field of Education. 

While earning her graduate degree, she interned with UT’s First Year Experience Office. She also worked for UT’s Athletic Department in their Academic Center. She has taught with KIPP Texas, Dallas ISD, and Life School. She has also had the opportunity to work as an Educator for the Frontiers of Flight Museum. She is cognizant of the privilege and opportunities that come with earning a college degree and she wants to make sure her students get that same advantage. 

Outside of getting students excited about higher education, Sunny enjoys frequenting eateries all over the metroplex. She is “Yelp Elite” and is always looking for an opportunity to try new foods. Along with family and friends, she loves walking through hiking trails, farmers markets, gardens, stores and more. 

Funmi Balogun is thrilled to serve at International Leadership of Texas Katy-Westpark High School as the Dean of College Advising. She was born and raised in Houston, Texas and went on to receive her B.S. in Human Development and Family Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin.

Before her time at UT Austin, she was able to gain experience in childcare through private tutoring and babysitting. During her first year of undergrad, she was able to use her prior experience to assist various families through the college admission process by overlooking admissions essays and recommending various volunteering opportunities. Additionally, during her second year, she worked as a student caller for the university. She was able to provide financial and organizational resources, such as unknown scholarships, emergency student funds, and networking strategies through the alumni system, to the current and past students of UT Austin.