Congratulations to our March 2026 Member of the Month (MeMo) Bijal Parikh! National College Attainment Network
(NCAN) staff asked her both professional and personal questions so you can get to know her and the work she does better.
Title and Organization: Program Specialist for Four Year Partnerships at CollegeTracks
Professional Questions
Q: What brought you to the college access and success field initially? A: While I feel like I'm on my fifth or sixth career already, college
access and success work seems so natural for someone with my history. As a child of immigrants who valued education above everything, advocating for higher ed equity and accessibility is like the highest form of service. My father often demonstrated,
with his words and actions, that we must always do what we can to support someone who is in pursuit of learning. After over a decade of working as a social worker in under-resourced communities, working in college access and persistence feels like
progress, positivity and purpose. I wasn’t the best student in the past, but I was surrounded with the most supportive adults.
Q: What do you love most about your role or organization? A: I love the unique modality that CollegeTracks employs in the delivery of services and equally I love the people I get to work with every day. CollegeTracks
is staffed by some of the most dedicated, informed and innovative problem solvers. It’s a joy to work side by side with people who are changing the face of industry, education, policy, medicine and research in Montgomery County, MD, one student at
a time. The organization employs a unique one-on-one coaching model for college students that results in enviable college graduation rates. In a time when young people are increasingly jaded by artificially generated and heavily filtered messages, CollegeTracks
leverages genuine relationship building and customized planning to support their degree and credential achievements. I also really enjoy my role as a partnership specialist because it allows me to build community with four-year institutions
so that we can champion the goals of the students we serve together.
Q: What's your favorite thing about being an NCAN member? A: I enjoy collaboration on all levels and being an NCAN member means I can learn about college access and persistence strategies and solutions from
like minded people from all over the nation. Sometimes we are building cooperative efforts and other times, it's just good old commiseration. As an NCAN member, I am reminded that none of us are alone in this fight.
Q: What advice do you have for people who are new to college attainment work? A: My
advice is to approach college access work with positivity, grit and tenacity. Disparity and unfair practices will always get you down, but celebrate successes often. We need you and you are right where you belong.
Personality Questions Every month, our MeMos will be answering some fun questions to help us get to know their “out of office” side!
Q: If you were dropped into any movie or TV show as a new main character, what movie or TV show would you pick and why? A: Any Charlie Brown movie so that I could knock some sense into poor Charlie.
Q: You get to host a dinner party with five people, dead or alive, famous or not. Who are you hosting? A: I would host my grandparents who I never got to meet but whose lessons in work ethic, family pride and lifelong learning continue to resonate in my family. Mother Teresa, to learn more about her resolve and dedication to the most marginalized of people.
Dolly Parton, to get inspiration from her to live an authentic life devoted to enjoying oneself while also giving back. Lastly, Mr. Rogers who always seemed to exude kindness and an unwavering belief in the value of every person.
Q: What's one thing you'd like to cross off your personal bucket list? Is there one thing you've crossed off already that you're really proud of? A: Doing
a gorilla trek in Rwanda or Uganda. This is an absolute dream for me and I hope I can do it once I’m an empty nester (but before I get too rickety). Getting a masters degree, raising three children and completing a twelve day silent meditation are
all things that I am super proud of.
Q: Imagine you could teleport anywhere. Where would you go right now and why? A: I would go to India to see family. I haven’t been there in years and as time goes by, some
of those family connections are languishing. It isn’t easy to maintain connection when we are so far apart and I would love for my children to feel the same connection to family and culture as I do.
Q: What's your favorite food, and one food you don't like? A: I
love cheese, especially rare and funky cheeses. I’m obsessed with cheese and I just read that a diet of high fat cheeses and cream is linked to a lower risk of dementia, so win-win. I really dislike beets, flavor and texture. I don’t understand why
they exist except to discolor any surrounding food items.
Q: If you could immediately be fluent in one language AND proficiently play one instrument, which language and instrument would you choose and why? A: I
would love to be fluent in Russian, I love the sound of the language, shape of the Cyrillic alphabet and the language’s penchant for rich description. I have always wanted to play the accordion. The active squeezing of the lung-like mechanism to produce
both mournful and cheerful sounds is fascinating to me.
Q: You HAVE to sing at karaoke. What song do you pick? A: "9 to 5" by Dolly Parton. I love Dolly but don’t have the vocal chops to sing Jolene.
Q: What’s one topic, not related to education/college attainment, that you could give an impromptu 45-minute TED Talk about? A: I
could give a TED Talk on cheeses from around the world and how to choose perfect cheese boards for gatherings based on the personalities of the people attending.
Q: What's on your to be read next list? A: I’m
looking forward to reading the celebrated bestseller Mona's Eyes By Thomas Schlesser.
Q: Is there a fun fact about yourself that you'd like to share that's not in these questions? A: I have had at least four
close call encounters with dangerous animals in my life and not on purpose. Once while in Thailand, I was charged by a grumpy elephant. In Ghana I was the subject of a coordinated attack by a troop of baboons. In Bryce Canyon I was almost thrown from
a spooked horse, and in Belize had to make a quick getaway from three sharks while blissfully snorkeling.
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