Four Directions Educational Consulting Services (4DECS) is committed to supporting counselors and educators to integrate culturally responsive tools and practices within the college planning process.  Our lead consultant, Kerrie Troseth, has been a licensed school counselor since 1999 and now works exclusively with Native American youth.  During this time, she noticed that many popular college search tools and resources did not acknowledge supportive cultural factors in the college planning process, therefore, our Native youth struggled to identify supportive colleges and resources for their college journey.  In 2020, Kerrie advocated for the development of an online, college planning platform that would honor Native American culture and utilize cultural, protective factors.

Over the course of two years and through extensive research and networking, CollegeBound Journey was created to support our own clients; however, we quickly realized the broader impact the platform could have if provided to a wider audience.  In 2022, CollegeBound Journey was made available to schools, Indian Education Programs, Tribal Education Departments, College Access Partners, and families.