Shaun‐Teka Joyner has over 15 years’ experience assisting students with getting into and paying for the college of their dreams, both as a nonprofit leader and education consultant. As a creative problem solver, Shaun‐Teka specializes in creating dynamic programming for “at‐promise” youth, developing scholarship programs and collegiate preparatory programs, improving nonprofit governance and accountability, program planning, development and innovation, and increasing student, volunteer, and donor engagement. She assists executive directors, colleges, school districts, non-profit organizations, and their boards, increasing their programs’ effectiveness.
Shaun‐Teka is the former Executive Director of the All Ways Up Foundation, a national organization dedicated to empowering individuals striving to improve their standard of living by bridging the gap between their ambition and their opportunity to achieve. During her tenure at All Ways Up, she created two nationally recognized programs, the Up Through Education Summit at UCLA, a dynamic five‐day, four‐night retreat designed to assist low‐income, first‐generation, and recently graduated high school seniors make a transition into and successfully complete college, and the Bridging the Gap Awards (BGA), a grant program that invests capital into smaller‐sized nonprofit organizations.
She is also the former Director of Connecting Communities to UCLA (CCU). CCU was a multi‐faceted program established in 2007 to connect community groups, faith‐based organizations, and local schools to UCLA. At CCU, she facilitated college access matriculation among underserved youth. After leaving, she continued to work with UCLA as an Undergraduate Admissions Reader, analyzing prospective college students’ qualifications by assessing their academic and personal achievements and submitting recommendations. Throughout her career, she has read and made recommendations for over 6,000 college applications. She now uses her wealth of insider’s knowledge to create programs that give youth the tools to overcome obstacles and view education, their circumstances, successes, and failures in a new light.
Shaun‐Teka is a graduate of the University of Southern California (USC) with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) with an emphasis on nonprofit management. In addition to her professional experiences, Shaun‐Teka is the author of Don’t Get Rejected: How to Get into the College of Your
Dreams, a comprehensive education guide that helps students in grades 6‐12 their parents understand what it takes to become a competitive college applicant. Her dedication toward ensuring the success of youth is infused into everything she does. Shaun‐ Teka will continue to work to ensure that all students are given an equal opportunity to excel in college and beyond.