2021 - Yet another challenging year goes in the books!
2021 was one more difficult year with the continued turmoil. With all the fluctuations of vaccine availability and new virus variants being discovered, if anything, we now know how to navigate through the ups and downs of life.
In the education system, some macro trends from 2020 continued. In K-12, flight to private schools as well as homeschooling was one of them.
Additionally, the movement away from standardized tests towards a more holistic review has gained tremendous attention. Two-thirds of colleges have SAT/ACT optional for the Fall 22 class, and some even beyond. Fiske Guide Colleges is dropping SAT/ACT test scores from its ranking for the first time with its 2022 edition, giving hope of an equitable admission process.
At Cirkled In, in spite of COVID, we continued to be the storytelling platform for the students and a go-to recruitment platform for colleges.
Supporting Our Students:
We continued our research and surveys and shared our insights and findings with the industry. We amplified voices of the students.
Survey of 1,400 High School Students.
We published our survey report on 1,400 + high school seniors sharing their experiences about the fall 2021 college admissions process. We fear that many students have fallen through the cracks during COVID pandemic.
We also published an article in Puget Sound Business Journals about how classroom closures are affecting our kids’ mental health. We also participated in panels and key notes sharing our experience and perspective in the education space.
Our contribution and potential were recognized by inclusion of Cirkled In in EdTech 200 North America by HolonIQ, just this month. These honors are good reminders that we are on the right track.
Cirkled In as the Matchmaker:
Cirkled In continued closing the information gap in the education ecosystem, making the best-fit match between talent and opportunities. It empowers Gen-Z students to showcase their holistic accomplishments, beyond academics and connects them to the best-fit opportunities in education and employment.
Cirkled In - A de-facto platform for students to showcase themselves.
We are thrilled to see how Cirkled In is closing the opportunity gap by discovering students who otherwise were not visible to colleges. With that, we are discovering hidden talent.
This year, we were blown away by our new one-day new user sign-up record – 3,067! We were thrilled to launch Cirkled In at the whole high school level. It’s a true testament to their affinity to the product when your customer goes through a massive year-long process to get the product approved by the state government.
Enhancing for Students’ Future:
We launched a brand-new student portal enabling enhancements, making Cirkled In a de-facto platform for all students’ recruitment and enrollment. This enhancement enables us to add jobs and internships to the platform.
We also enhanced the college search portal with a comparison feature along with a “Share” and “Recommendation”. Students can share any college with their friends right from the Cirkled In website.
Being among the Best!
We are thrilled and humbled by our induction into Forbes NEXT1000 inspiring entrepreneurs.
We also received an entire feature in both print and online version of our local magazine about how Cirkled In is making college enrollment stress-free.
We exhibited at NACAC 2021, an organization that is in perfect alignment with our mission. We met change-makers like Andre Benin, CEO of NACAC, and Jeff Selingo, bestseller author on college admissions. We even appeared on NACAC TV channel.
Forbes NEXT1000 - Inspiring Entrepreneurs.
NACAC - Mission aligned with Cirkled In.
As we wrap up the year and look to the future, which will look quite different, we take ownership to empower students to showcase themselves holistically and authentically. With that, we close the information gap between colleges, educators, and students, making our education system more effective, efficient, and equitable.
