Company Info
About Marie Nubia-Feliciano, Ph.D.
To learn more about Dr. Marie Nubia-Feliciano, please visit her website here.
The Colégas Mission
Our mission is simple: to help people achieve their academic goals, whether they are just starting college, finishing up a degree, writing a thesis/dissertation, or considering returning to college later in life.
In 2016, the Colégas Group started as a way to help adjuncts further their academic careers. We explored different ideas along the way, from offering additional income opportunities to workshops on improving their skills. What we found was that it wasn’t just adjuncts who needed additional resources, but just about anyone who is attending a college or university. Actually, we were even asked if we offered any assistance for high school students and people returning to school after starting professional careers.
It was clear we needed to rethink our message. So in 2021, as the pandemic was receding, we took a long hard look at what we could do. We decided to focus on what we knew best: teaching and counseling. So that is what we do now. We offer one-on-one advising, workshops, consulting services, online discussions, and writing assistance.
To narrow things down a bit, we primarily serve people of color, women and those who are underrepresented in higher education. These populations have been historically underrepresented, and therefore inadequately supported in higher education.
Honestly though, we won’t turn anyone away. We are proponents of lifelong learning for everyone. If you are thinking about college in any way, we are here to help. Just let us know what we can do to help you achieve your academic goals.
The Colégas Name
The word is Spanish for colleagues. The word is also derived from the same Dutch word, collegas. Spanish and Dutch cultural heritage is shared between the CEO and Founder, Dr. Nubia-Feliciano who is Puerto-Rican, and the Director of Operations, Michael Koetsier, who is from the Netherlands. Exploring our multi-cultural assets is something that is a fundamental part of a college education, so we try to live up to that in everything we do as well.
The Color Purple
To reflect the many things what the Colégas Group represents required a color that would speak to the themes we believe in. Instead of a primary color, we decided that a blended (secondary) color would be better. It should also be a color that represents scholarship, experience, and wisdom. Ultimately, we felt that purple would fit those attributes best. The color purple can also be seen as a transition color, our the way from red to blue, red being a color of change and action and blue being a color of stability and calm. Purple thus stands in between to hold the space open to acknowledge life’s necessary transitions.
What is with the accent on the word Colégas?
When the company was initially founded, the name had no accent, but there was a bit of confusion in how it should be pronounced, especially from people with no Spanish language experience. We didn’t want people to think we were a gas company owned by some guy named Cole.
While it is not grammatically correct to include the accent (ironic for a company touting education - we know), the accent helps with pronunciation. The correct pronunciation is ko-lay-gas.
Go ahead, say it with us…