College counseling shouldn't be just for the privileged, says a Teaneck mom on a mission

Thirty-year Teaneck resident Rhona Vega recalled a recent back-to-school night at Teaneck High School where she gave the assembled parents "a little test."

"One of the questions I asked is 'Who wants their kids to be successful?' They stood up, they had their hands up, they had their feet up. They were excited and saying, 'Yeah, of course I want my kids to pay their bills and buy their own food," Vega said.

"But then when I asked who has a blueprint, who has a game plan to get them there, everyone sat down and all their hands went down," she said.

Vega, 58, is the founder and head of Exposure and Opportunities (also known as Parent Matterz), a service that helps students from middle school to college, primarily from Bergen County, with matters such as college admissions, internships and financial aid.

The mother of five said in a recent interview with NorthJersey.com that the service, which she has offered since 2018, is vital in helping families establish a blueprint for their children's success.

Vega, who is of African American and Native American descent, and her business, which is funded by grants and donations, focuses on populations that have historically been excluded from educational and career opportunities, her website says. Her goal, she said, is to "democratize" college and career-counseling to help such kids — and their parents.

"A lot of times parents work in silos, and they're embarrassed about what's going on in their kids' lives and they probably don't want to put their mentors in their lives because they don't want people to know that 'Oh, my kids are not doing well,'" Vega said. "I say, on the other hand, share and you will be surprised at how many people are going through the same thing."

The following transcript has been edited for space and clarity.

Can you talk about Parent Matterz/Exposure and Opportunities?

Parent Matterz and Exposure and Opportunities was created to democratize access for youth, especially youth of color, and give them access to life-changing experiences.

We offer different services. The first is success coaching. We do these in group sessions. One of our signature services is Junior Jumpstart, which is for high school juniors. We take them through the whole college process during the spring and summer of their junior year, before they enter their senior year. They are a little more prepared before they go to college.

And we don't just focus on colleges, we focus on careers as well. Just in case they don't want to go to college or aren't thinking about a four-year college, we focus on getting them access to two-year colleges as well as different career paths that don't require college and getting them connected to mentors.

What can you say about the students of color you help and advice you have for families?

What I found through my own lived experience of raising my own children is that there's no equity in access. Kids and parents have no idea that so many opportunities exist. I didn't have any idea. I felt I was a knowledgeable parent, a very involved parent. What I learned through my own kids' journey was there are roads to success and there are blueprints. You have to be involved; you have to put your kids in the right networks to access all this.

When and how did it come about?

It all started because of my lived experience and my five kids getting over $750,000 in merit scholarships. I didn't know what I was doing. I grew up in New York City in public housing. I knew my mother had us involved in a lot of different opportunities to keep us off the street. So, I, in turn, raising my kids [in Teaneck], I wanted to make sure as a young mom that they had opportunities, but also they can pay their own bills one day.

Exposure and Opportunities was started in 2018. The first five years, it was a passion project. We were able to get grant funding this past year working with the YWCA Northern New Jersey, Bergen County Youth Services Commission, and Dwight Morrow High School Alumni Educational Alliance.

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What work did you do before starting your service?

I have done a little bit of everything. I worked for the Teaneck Board of Education at one point. I worked for Center for Hope and Safety [in Rochelle Park]. My background is accounting, but I have done volunteer work. I run volunteer programs. I have been a consultant to Administration for Children's Services, a youth agency for New York City.

How did living in Teaneck influence your creating this service?

I grew up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, so Teaneck reminds me a little bit of that. There's a lot of diversity. I had a lot of friends from various walks of life. I think Teaneck is such a welcoming place, and we have been able to navigate and help a lot of young people. A lot of Teaneck residents are educators, and they understand the need for this type of work.

Ricardo Kaulessar covers race, immigration, and culture for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: kaulessar@northjersey.com

Twitter: @ricardokaul

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Teaneck mom seeks to 'democratize' college counseling with service