No cookie-cutter advice. Straight talk and the inside scoop only
DiscoverU Prep is a college advising program unapologetically focused on helping our kids succeed. We help students and families navigate the prep, admissions, and funding processes through a culturally centered lens.
We remember what it’s like because we’ve been there. As students and now as parents, we remember the stress of navigating college admissions. Whether looking at HBCUs or PWIs, we’ve felt the pressure to get it “right,” wrestled with gaps in information, and faced a system that too often overlooks families like ours.
We created DiscoverU Prep because it’s what we wished we had—back when we were applying to college, and again when we were guiding our own kids through it. We’ve lived it, learned from it, and in many cases, turned that learning into a calling. Now, we’re here to pay it forward. To make the process less overwhelming, more empowering, and rooted in community understanding. Because when we see each other, support each other, and strategize together—our kids don’t just get through it, they thrive.
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DiscoverU Prep Was Built for You, Because You Deserve More - more support, more access, and more understanding.
DiscoverU Prep is for families like yours:
Students with big dreams, but limited guidance
Parents who are doing everything they can but still feel shut out of the system
Families who are ready for college—but need support that actually makes sense for them
Let us join you on your journey to success.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together” African Proverb
Expert Strategy and Lived Experience: We have a deep understanding of what it means to want more for your kids – and to fight for it every step of the way.
Different by Design
Affordable & Accessible: DiscoverU Prep is a fraction of the cost of bigger firms because access shouldn’t depend on privilege and guidance should never be out of reach.
Whether you’re just starting out or ready to level up, we’ve got the tools to help
Services for Individuals
Services for Groups
Paula Dofat is a College Funding Strategist, HBCU advocate, and award-winning former college counselor with more than 20 years of experience helping students and families turn their college dreams into reality—without the crushing debt. She’s the founder of Cut College Costs LLC and HBCU Money Guide, a trusted platform with over 100,000 engaged Instagram followers.
Featured on CBS News, U.S. News & World Report, NPR, and PBS NewsHour, Paula is known for breaking down the confusing parts of college affordability into clear, actionable steps. She’s helped countless students earn full-ride scholarships, master financial literacy, and uncover resources they didn’t even know existed. At DiscoverU Prep, she brings that same passion, real-talk guidance, and proven strategies to help your family find the right college fit—and a price tag you can actually afford.
Exclusive Coach
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Creative Minds
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For over 25 years, Von has been working in the student travel industry with prior experience as a high school educator. Von is originally from San Francisco, raised in Detroit, and is the product of a single parent home in a highly underserved community. He attended Florida A&M University and currently contributes to our success at CE by connecting with college access communities, always learning new ways on how we can best help serve the students of our future. His hobbies include spending time with friends and family, holding them as huge priorities in his life.
Exclusive Coach
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Creative Minds
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Chris Corinthian
Chris Corinthian is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur who earned his Journalism and Mass Communications degree from Savannah State University. After experiencing a series of financial setbacks including a layoff and a fire, he realized the importance of financial literacy.
With nearly 20 years of experience in higher education in Financial Aid and Financial
Literacy, he has helped thousands understand financial strategies, particularly in paying for college without student loans. Corinthian founded FinLit University, LLC and Debt-Free Degree Academy to educate people on financial principles.
He has worked with organizations across the country like Boys & Girls Clubs of
America, Taco Bell Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Prudential Emerging Visionaries
to name a few, and his message has reached over 1 million people through various channels.
He is also a cohost on PBS’s (WABE) Emmy-Nominated docu-reality series ‘My Money Mentors’, designed to make financial literacy enjoyable and empowering for Millennials and Gen-Z. Corinthian's mission is to help everyone achieve financial literacy. He is currently studying for his AFC (Accredited Financial Counselor) Certification.
