Vidal Access Inc

VIDAL Access is a 501(c)(3) college access non-profit organization. The organization was launched in July 2019 by Lance Beverly, an Alabama native, UAB, Harvard, and LSU graduate, Yale Educator Award recipient, and college access expert that had previously served as an access professional and organizational leader in Dallas, Boston, and NYC. VIDAL's mission is to help low-income and lower-middle-class students pursue postsecondary pathways at an affordable cost. To achieve this end, VIDAL's primary model is to provide partnering high schools with in-school college access consultants, thereby meeting our students where they are—figuratively and literally—on a consistent basis. VIDAL also has a special secondary program, called The Dream Initiative, that is largely funded by the Alabama State Department of Education; this program allows high-achieving low-income students to visit either Washington D.C. or New York City to experience once-in-a-lifetime college, career, and cultural experiences, followed by a year's worth of 1-on-1 test prep and college consulting support throughout their admissions journey. 

Since inception, VIDAL has partnered and supported Birmingham City Schools, Montgomery Public Schools, John Carroll Catholic High School, Coosa Valley Academy, and the Magic City Acceptance Academy—in addition to at-large students from Jefferson County IB, Hoover HS, Homewood HS, Vestavia Hills, and more. Similarly, VIDAL has received generous funding from the MG Goodrich Foundation, Daniel Foundation, Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, EBSCO Industries, Hugh Kaul Foundation, Susan Mott Webb Foundation, Cleary Family Foundation, and more.