MLWGS alum Daniel Hwa-Sung Ryu ‘14 has been following through on a passion for higher education access, inspired by his own experiences as a first-generation college applicant. Recently, his work has focused on making college more accessible for Virginia students and supporting Maggie Walker families through 7Sage Education, an edtech and higher ed admissions company.
At the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), Ryu works with high school students through GEAR UP Virginia, a federal grant that supports Title I schools where more than 50% of students qualify for free or reduced-priced lunches. As part of his role, he also has conversations with four-year colleges to explore ways to improve retention rates for high-need students. Ryu is building on his time as an AmeriCorps VISTA service member, during which he worked on low-income student nutrition policy at New York City schools.
Separate from his state government work, Ryu has recently made a major contribution to the Maggie Walker Foundation through his company 7Sage, in addition to auctioning off their college admissions services at the 2026 Night of the Dragon. Ryu recalls his own experience as a senior vividly.
“Part of why I’ve become so passionate about education access is that the whole process of getting into college felt so frightening yet life-defining. I put a lot of my youthful self-worth on college acceptances, and I don’t know how I would have fared if it weren’t for the immense amount of support I received from many patient, caring people.”
Beyond Maggie Walker, Ryu is also working with 7Sage to support the Greater Richmond community. Through a partnership with UP RVA, a non-profit that supports high-achieving, low-income students from Richmond’s East End, he is leveraging his company’s resources to closely advise four rising seniors who attend independent schools such as Collegiate and St. Christopher’s. For Ryu, the interest in his work flows from his own personal journey:
“There’s always going to be kids who are uncommonly smart and ambitious, like the ones that fill our school. Speaking from experience, it’s important that they have the right people guiding them. I’m really blessed that I found many such mentors at Maggie Walker, even when I was a difficult teenager struggling to figure things out.”
Ryu credits his teachers and counselors at MLWGS with instilling in him a passion for public service and education, which has followed him through his time at the University of Richmond, Oxford, and Yale.
“I’m really proud to support the Maggie Walker Foundation, and I hope to do so for years to come,” Ryu says. He is happy to connect with any member of the Maggie Walker community at daniel.ryu@7sage.com