Celso Cárdenas has worked in the field of college counseling for over 17 years across three different secondary schools. He has dedicated his career to supporting disadvantaged communities and expanding inclusion for all students. He joins Avenues from Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, where from 2015 he served as an upper school dean, as well as faculty advisor to LatinX and LGBT student groups. Previously, he worked as associate director of college counseling at Francis W. Parker School in Chicago. He is an elected member of College Board’s financial assistance assembly council and serves on the educational advisory board for the Point Foundation, the country’s largest scholarship-granting non-profit for LGBTQ+ students. Celso received a B.A. in Latino studies from the University of Michigan and holds an M.A. in Community Counseling. In spring 2023, he will complete his doctoral program in educational leadership at the University of Southern California, where he also served as lead admissions coach for the Bovard Scholars program, a college access program for high-achieving, low-income students.