If you were ever wondering how College Visions has managed to help so many students get into college over the years, here is your answer. Our success is thanks to the amazing people that support College Visions on a day-to-day basis. Jim Olick believes in providing students with the right tools and resources to build a foundation in education that they may use throughout their lives. Thank you, Jim for supporting CV 100%!
Could you tell me a little about yourself?
As the Director of Admissions Systems and Operations at Johnson & Wales University my days are full of data analysis, working to understand high school students, and what influences their college choices. I’m always looking at the larger patterns within enrollment management. I love that College Visions gives me the chance to help students one-on-one. It is immensely rewarding to help someone achieve the dream of going to college.
While not working, I enjoy spending time with my family. My wife and I have been married for just under 10 years. Our 7-year-old son keeps our lives full of adventures and on the run. When time permits and the weather agrees, I enjoy gardening. It is nice to slow things down.
Is education important to you and why? What was your educational journey like?
Education is very important to me. As a lifelong learner, my educational journey is still ongoing. I attended a public high school, East Providence High School. My parents always pushed me to attend college. While never enrolling themselves, they saw the importance of education. It provides a realm of choices, which can be otherwise lost. During my college search, costs where a major factor. I chose to forgo a selective private institution as they provided minimal financial aid. The University of Rhode Island is where I received my Bachelors, double majoring in Management Information Systems and Marketing. A few years after graduating I returned part time for a MBA. Currently I am working towards a Doctorate in Education at Northeastern University, recently completing coursework and moving into the dissertation phase.
What moved you to donate to CV?
My direct experiences of how costs can quickly close doors in a college search provided a connection to CV’s mission. Seeing how effective CV is with supporting their students is beyond impressive. Being data focused, how CV outperforms the national averages in retention and graduation proves the value in the work being done.
Do you think CV is an important resource to the community?
CV provides an invaluable resource to the community. Education provides a path towards economic freedom. Supporting those who may otherwise not find the path to college helps not only the students, but the wider community. The outside donations from organizations such as Bank of America, Citizens Bank, and BankRI provide external validation that many organizations are seeing the importance in the work done by CV.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
I’ve been proud to support CV. Every chance I get I try to share the good work being done and how impressive the students are. I’m looking forward to helping next cycle as the admissions and financial aid timelines are shifted due to the “Prior Prior year” FAFSA changes. It will be a whole new world with financial aid processing starting in October instead of January. I hope this provides students with more time to make informed decisions.
