She did not begin by offering investment projections.

She asked what Selena hoped to study, where she might want to live, and how much time remained before applications.

“Selena is fifteen,” I said.

“We have a few years, but she wanted biomedical engineering.

She has been talking about it since middle school.”

Elena drew three columns on a sheet of paper: tuition, living expenses, and pathways.

She explained the difference between direct admission and transfer routes, grants and loans, merit aid and need-based aid.

We discussed the possibility of opening a dedicated education account for future contributions, with carefully considered access and beneficiary arrangements.