Cole is a steadfast advocate for his alma mater, Austin Community College. As a former pell-grant recipient, a dyslexic learner, and a champion for student civic engagement– Cole has dedicated his life to making postsecondary education more accessible, more affordable, and more attainable. He has worked as a college-access counselor with at-risk youth at Boys Hope Girls Hope, he’s fought for college affordability and student access to healthcare at the Texas State Legislature with Young Invincibles, and after getting a Masters in Education at Harvard – has published renowned academic research on workforce access for post-secondary students. 

 

Cole’s passion for ACC is rooted in his time on campus. When Cole enrolled at ACC, his mother, a public school teacher, battleda rare disease while his father had lost the family’s small business during the Great Recession. Facing the roadblocks of economic uncertainty, alongside the stigma associated with being a dyslexic learner, Cole fought, and found a new lease on education at Austin Community College which served as a gateway to a lifetime focused on developing opportunities for student success. 

 

After getting his start in college through ACC, Cole went on to transfer to the University of Texas, earn a bachelor's degree, and later a masters degree in education from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. After graduating from UT Austin, Cole has worked tirelessly for postsecondary access and civic life in Austin. He led statewide civic engagement on over a dozen campuses as an employee of the Annette Strauss Institute based in the Moody College of Communications, served in leadership positions on boards of organizations like Brass Out Loud (a music education nonprofit), Young Invincibles, and the Austin Monitor. He regularly volunteers with other local organizations, like Austin Free-Net. He remains connected to the community as a Leadership Austin graduate and is a member of the Austin Young Chamber of Commerce.