SHAQUITA M. BASILEO

Since 2013, our founder and lead coach, Shaquita M. Basileo, has been committed to helping minority and female students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems from Florida A&M University, attending school on a full scholarship. In 2007, she earned her Master of Business Administration degree from Stanford University. Shaquita had a successful professional career at Procter & Gamble, IBM, and the TJX Companies, but found a calling to education and has worked for the last five years as a math and lead teacher in a small private school in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle. As an educator, she has taught math to students from grades 1 through Calculus, continuously growing her knowledge of multi-sensory math tools. Under her guidance as an admissions coach, she has helped students gain admissions and scholarship awards at top universities such as Cornell University, The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, Duke University, Morgan State University, and the University of California-Berkeley.

DR. LAYLA M. STAFFORD

Helping students earn debt-free degrees has been the mission of Dr. Layla McCall Stafford for over 20 years now.  Dr. Stafford completed her Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy at Florida A&M University.  She then entered The University of Georgia (UGA) as the first FAMU Feeder Scholar to attend UGA with a full assistantship through the Department of Recruitment and Retention.  Dr. Stafford was also the first female to work as both a certified athletic trainer and rehabilitation coordinator for the Division I UGA football.  She furthered her studies at The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, earning a Doctorate in Physical Therapy, and The University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a graduate certificate in Health Informatics.  Layla learned how to use her talents to leverage scholarships, grants and other monies for higher education.  She has mentored females and minority students wishing to enter the allied health professions and other higher education tracks, equipping them with knowledge and tools to graduate with as many degrees as desired DEBT-FREE.