On paper, Phillip Wu had all the requisites needed to go straight to a four-year college when he graduated from high school. He was in the top 25% of his class, came from an educated family and had already been accepted to  UC Riverside.

However, Wu was just going through the motions, checking boxes, but not really engaged. And, frankly, he was a little scared.

“I wasn’t ready – at least not mentally. In high school, I lacked a clear sense of direction,” he said. “I didn’t know what I wanted to study or what kind of career I wanted to pursue. I even questioned whether college was the right fit for me at all...READ MORE