Wil Del Pilar

About Wil

• Growing up in a low-income community in Carson, California, I attended a Title I school where opportunity felt like a distant dream.
• Despite discouragement from my school counselor, I discovered a love for reading that fueled my self-guided journey to higher education.
• I prepped for the SAT with a borrowed book while also working full-time after high school, charting a path no one expected for me.
• I stepped onto my college campus for the first time on the very day classes began, navigating everything on my own.
• College was a struggle for me and I was considering dropping out, but I connected with a dean who introduced me to work-study, shaping both my education and career trajectory.
• My early work in college admissions showed me how many students, like me, lacked resources and support.
• Motivated by personal struggles, I transitioned to education policy to enact systemic change for underrepresented students.
• Today, as a senior vice president at EdTrust, I lead efforts to close opportunity gaps and advocate for equitable education for all.