College prep coaches in Connecticut are standing behind their profession in the wake of a bribery scandal involving coaches, parents and actresses.
Coaches and parents, along with attorney Gordon Caplan of Greenwich, were charged in a sweeping college admissions bribery scandal. Also charged were actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin.
As News 12 has reported, William Rick Singer, the CEO of a college admissions prep company, pleaded guilty to using $25 million of clients' money to bribe and cheat their kids' way into college. Singer's website describes him as a college coach, however, independent consultant Thalia Thompson says that's not how the job works.
"I was initially disappointed and it morphed into anger because essentially you have one bad player in what I think is a noble profession who kind of ruined it for everybody in a way," says Thompson.
Former English teacher Dr. Tony Di Giacomo is the founder of Novella Prep where he helps high school students apply to college. Both Giacomo and Thompson say their jobs are all about finding the right fit for students. They access a student's personality and career goals and then help them apply.
"I can never ever, ever and can't stress this enough -- write essays for the students," says Thompson. "I wouldn't even know how to begin their stories."