We’re proving what’s possible when you empower the next generation of leaders with the skills, networks, experiences, and confidence necessary to launch a strong career.
Administrative
Assistant,
North Suburban
Legal Aid Clinic
Photo: Joe Mazza |
Brave Lux Inc.
Program Assistant,
ACE Program at
Lehman College
Photo: Joshua Christie |
Purpose Portraits
“Braven equipped me with the skills and confidence I needed to land a strong job. Through practical exercises like mock interviews and resume writing, I gained the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in the job search process. With the guidance of my Leadership Coach, I felt empowered to take control of my search and confident enough to secure a full-time role in higher education.”
In 2013, Braven started out as a pilot with 17 students and has since grown to 7,400 Fellows at seven innovative colleges and universities nationwide and through BravenX. A decade in, we’ve had the privilege of working with thousands of incredibly talented, diverse undergraduate students who continue to overcome challenges on their way to career and lifetime success. In this report, we highlight their stories as we dive into five questions that assess Braven’s impact:
Are Braven Fellows getting quality economic opportunities that put them on the path to the American promise?
Are we impacting more students and maintaining program quality?
Is Braven supporting Fellows on the path to college completion and internships?
Are Braven Fellows developing the soft skills and networks needed for success?
Are we building employer and higher education partnerships with true shared value?
These students, along with their hard-working families and communities, deserve a more just America in every way. They inspire us to continue to work towards building fundamentally better systems that will allow all of our nation’s talented young people a chance at the American promise.
Only about 30% of 1.4 million low-income or first-generation college students who enroll in college each year will graduate and secure a strong first job or enter graduate school.1
That’s more than one million students every single year who aren’t on the path to the American promise.
1
Statistics based on data from the National Center for Education Statistics (2021 digest and 2019 NCES 2019-487), National Student Clearinghouse Research Center’s Transfer & Progress report (Fall 2022), and Third Way’s “The Pell Divide: How Four-Year Institutions are Failing to Graduate Low- and Moderate-Income Students” (2018).
Customer Support
Technical Training,
Applied Materials
Photo: Photo: Joe Mazza
Photography
(San Francisco, CA)
“Braven proved to be invaluable. I was surprised by how helpful people were and continue to be when I ask for help. I made a few connections through the program that I still reach out to.”
Braven empowers promising underrepresented college students with the skills, confidence, experiences, and networks necessary to transition from college to strong economic opportunities, which lead to meaningful careers and lives of impact.
The next generation of leaders
will emerge from everywhere.
Actuarial Intern,
Allstate
Photo: Kat Goduco
“With the help of Braven, I was able to showcase my skills and potential during the interview process for my first internship. I am grateful for the practice and tips they gave me, which improved my confidence and professionalism for this summer and will serve me throughout my future professional and academic career.”
Braven empowers promising underrepresented young people on their paths to quality economic opportunities through a semester-long, cohort-based course, which
was designed with significant input from our higher education partners and their faculty, and a post-course experience that lasts through college graduation.
In our core higher education model, students take the course for credit either in-person or virtually. Students who come through BravenX via college success organizations receive a financial stipend in lieu of credit.
Earning a college degree is still the surest path to landing a strong job by age 30.2 What’s more, on average, there is a significant wealth and income gap between Americans with a college degree and those without.
2
Anthony P. Carnevale, Zachary Mabel, Kathryn Peltier Campbell, and Heidi Booth. What Works: Ten Education, Training, and Work-Based Pathway Changes That Lead to Good Jobs. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, 2023. cew.georgetown.edu/pathway-changes.
3
Third Way Report: Worlds Apart: The Non-College Economy
4
When mortgage and other debt is tallied, median household net worth for college-educated Americans is $252,400, compared to $58,800 for those without bachelor’s degrees.
5
Healthy People 2020, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Data for persons aged 25-64 years in 2018.
6
Trostel, Philip. “It’s Not Just the Money: The Benefits of College Education to Individuals and to Society.” Lumina Foundation, 2015.
Intern at The Pattis
Family Foundation
Summer Leadership
Program at Women
Employed (WE)
Photo: Joe Mazza
| Brave Lux Inc.
In Chicago, Braven partners with National Louis University
to pilot our core model with a higher-need, yet high-potential student population. From its founding, NLU has strived to expand access to higher education, especially for those who have historically encountered barriers due to geography, marginality, or economic status. We also launched a partnership this fall with Northern Illinois University.
In 2022, 70 Braven Fellows graduated from National Louis University, and we are encouraged to see that nearly 4 out of 5 Fellows are employed, with the majority in quality roles, graduate school or pathway roles.
7
Fellow outcomes are from FY22 graduates of our core model schools: Lehman College, Rutgers University-Newark, and San José State University. The data presented does not incorporate information from Spelman College or Northern Illinois University, as we do not yet have graduate Fellows at these core model sites. Fellows who identify as more than one race or ethnicity are counted in the “Two or more races” category. National estimates utilized in this report are based on data from NACE’s 2021 First Destination Survey and underemployment research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Student Assistant,
Special Collections
and Archives,
SJSU King Library
Photo: Joshua Christie |
Purpose Portraits
Incoming Audit Staff,
Crowe
Photo: Kat Goduco
“Braven has fortified my teamwork, resume, and communication skills. Leveraging these cornerstones, I’m resolute in my pursuit of growth by embracing adaptability, leadership, personal branding, feedback, and cultural awareness.”
The influence of internships on post-graduate success is underscored by our data: Braven Fellows with internship experience show a 18 percentage point uplift in quality first opportunity attainment over Fellows with no internship experience (43% vs 25%).8
8
Data are sourced from self-reported internship numbers provided by Braven Fellows. The data represent 97% of participants who graduated in FY22 from our core model higher education partners: Lehman College, San José State University, and Rutgers University-Newark.
With Braven’s help, Kendy Villabuilt the foundation
to get on the path to the American promise.
Legal Assistant/
Paralegal
Vaclavek Hartman
Vaclavek, P.C
Photo: Joe Mazza |
Brave Lux Inc.
In 2013, Braven – then called Beyond Z – started as four pilot programs: three with K-12 students and one with college students. The initial college pilot included 17 students at San José State University (SJSU).
In 2015, after seeing too many promising students from underrepresented backgrounds miss out on strong job opportunities post-college, two female SJSU associate deans and a senior faculty member formalized our partnership, launching Braven as a credit bearing course.
That same fall, Braven expanded to the East Coast and launched at Rutgers University-Newark. Today, we’re in partnership with 7 colleges and universities nationwide.
“Braven gave me my first foundation of professional skills and tools that allowed me to land such a strong opportunity with Google after graduating college. Prior to taking Braven, I didn’t have a resume or LinkedIn profile, and was an average interviewer at best. Additionally, Braven provided me with a strong professional network to lean on and learn from, as well as connect me with opportunities like internships (I ended up graduating with three under my belt). Sometimes, it’s not what you know, or who you know, but who knows you!
I hope Braven can continue to expand and be offered at as many colleges and universities as possible. Braven was a critical part in my success, and I want other students, especially those who are first generation, low-income, or are simply lost and need some guidance, to reap the same benefits I was able to as a result of taking the Braven program.”
Fall 2015 Fellow
Jalil was a Google Bold Intern and formerly worked at both Google and Meta in Human Resources. After the recent tech layoffs, Jalil is seeking program management opportunities in DEI, Recruiting, or People Operations.
9
Weighted average based on job outcomes from Fellows from 2019 to 2023.
In 2016, Braven celebrated a significant milestone: our inaugural class of Braven Fellows graduated and entered the labor market. This momentous occasion marked the beginning of a journey that has since seen over 2,300 Braven Fellows graduating and starting their professional journeys.
Our Fellows have consistently outperformed their peers nationally in securing quality career outcomes–whether that be landing a strong first job or enrolling in graduate school. On average, our Fellows have achieved a 18 percentage point9 uplift compared to national benchmarks, demonstrating the positive impact of the Braven program on their career trajectories. This achievement underscores the success of our approach in arming our Fellows with the essential skills, self-confidence, and professional network needed to make a smooth transition from college to a robust career path.
Fellows completed the Braven course in the
2022-2023 school year at Northern Illinois University.
10
Fellows who identify with more than one race or ethnicity are counted more than once in the figures above.
New Fellows completed the Braven course in the 2022-2023 school year at National Louis University.
11
Fellows who identify with more than one race or ethnicity are counted more than once in the figures above.
In an extensive literature review of 13 career readiness interventions, the Harvard Project on Workforce found that internships were the most effective intervention in terms of research-based evidence and implementation.12
However, there are gaps between students’ intentions to participate in internships and whether they actually participate in them.13 First-generation students in particular have lower internship attainment rates than their continuing-generation peers.
12
David Deming, Joseph B. Fuller, Rachel Lipson, et al. (April 2023). Delivering on the Degree: The College-to-Jobs Playbook. Published by Harvard Kennedy School.
13
Strada Viewpoint: From College to Career: Students’ Internship Expectations and Experiences
Across socioeconomic lines of difference, there are also inequities in paid internship attainment, which can impact post-college career opportunities.
Paid internships lead to more full-time job offers and higher starting pay.14
14
National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) 2023 Student Survey
Intern,
Avicena Tech
Photo: Joe Mazza Photography
(San Francisco, CA)
“Through Braven, I beefed up my teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving skills. I also learned how to network better and gain more connections on LinkedIn. These learnings helped me to land my internship.”
For college students, internships serve as critical proof points of experience that open professional doors.
Compared with graduates nationally, Braven 2022 graduates were 39 percentage points more likely to have at least one internship or similar career-accelerating experience during college.15
15
Braven Fellow internship data was available for 97% of the class of 2022 from Braven’s core programs and was sourced from self-reported surveys and LinkedIn profiles.
16
National percentages come from Strada’s From College to Career: Students’ Internship Experiences and Expectations.
17
Internship data of the class of 2022 from Braven’s core programs. Fellows who identify as more than one race or ethnicity are counted more than once in the figure above. Fellows for whom race/ethnicity are unknown are excluded from the chart.
Real Estate Agent
Keller Williams
Photo: Joshua Christie |
Purpose Portraits
“Braven was a critical factor in helping me land several internships. The Braven Accelerator course allowed me to cultivate my hard and soft skills and find meaningful ways to build networks through building habits that have persisted beyond my college career. I developed confidence in applying for jobs, interviewing, and networking.”
“Thanks to Braven, who helped me build my confidence to apply to career-accelerating opportunities, I landed an internship at Cramer-Krasselt (CK). My experience at CK was very enlightening and through various department rotations,I gained hands-on experience and an understanding of what it is like to work at an integrated agency.”
Intern, Cramer-Krasselt
Photo: Joe Mazza | Brave Lux
“My time in Braven directly affected my experience with Wayfair. During the Braven course, we did interview prep, perfected our resumes and gained experience with a case study project, so I received ample practice to do my best for the Early Leaders Program, which led me to my Physical Retail Intern role at Wayfair.”
Physical Retail Intern, Wayfair
Photo: Kat Goduco
“As someone who recently made a significant professional pivot from the fashion industry, the Braven Accelerator Program was invaluable to me. The mentorship, resources, and guidance on tailoring cover letters and my resume for each role was so timely and a real confidence booster.
I can use these newfound insights in every position from this point forward.
I am equipped and well
able to achieve anything
I set out to do!”
Marketing Intern, CouldYou?
Comms Intern, New York City Commission on Human Right
Photo: Joshua Christie
“Braven helped me prepare for an internship by polishing my portfolio and building an excellent resume. The skills
I beefed up on were teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving. I also learned how to network better. Braven helped me expand my professional network by gaining more connections on LinkedIn.”
Intern, Avicena Tech
Photo: Joe Mazza Photography(San Francisco, CA)
“Braven has helped me figure out what I’m truly passionate about. All I needed was the opportunities to put me in a position to succeed. I appreciated the mock interviews, and I also learned how to strengthen my resume and cover letter. My experience in my cohort exceeded my expectations when it comes to my public speaking skills. Lastly, the one-on-one conversations that I had with my Leadership Coach left me with life lessons which not only helped me academically but personally and professionally.”
Intern, Summit
Housing Authority
Photo: Kat Goduco
“Braven set me up for success in preparing my resume, expanding my network, and learning vital skills to be used in the workforce and in life. Braven encouraged me to apply to jobs and connect with mentors in my field of study. They always find a way to help out Braven Fellows even after the program!”
Programming Intern,
Enterprise Command Center
Photo: Joe Mazza | Brave Lux
Braven Fellows are persisting and graduating at encouraging rates. By comparison, about 7 in 10 of their peers nationally graduate college on time.18
18
Implied 6-year graduation rate for Black and Latinx students who persisted from freshman to sophomore year at four-year public institutions. Sources: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, 2021 release of Tables 326.10, 326.30, and 306.50.
Product Management
Associate,
Prudent Financial
Photo: Joshua Christie |
Purpose Portraits
“My favorite part of the Braven experience was forming a relationship with my Leadership Coach and having one-on-one conversations during which we talked about my goals and the steps I must take to get to my goals.”
Each semester, Braven measures growth in non-cognitive factors between
the start and end of the Braven Accelerator course. Non-cognitive factors, which are not usually measured through traditional assessments like standardized tests, are associated with academic and lifetime success and can play large roles in explaining job search and career behaviors and outcomes.
19
Frank, J.L. (2020). School-Based Practices for the 21st Century: Noncognitive Factors in Student Learning and Psychosocial Outcomes. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Vol. 7(1) 44–51.
Graduate Student,
New York University
Photo: Joshua Christie |
Purpose Portraits
“Braven helped me by providing opportunities to use my leadership skills in a structure that enables underclassmen to further develop their confidence. As a soon-to-be mental health professional, this experience helped to define how I would like to approach different personalities and also frame my own therapeutic voice.”
Upon completion of the Braven Accelerator, Fellows are invited to join the Professional Mentor (PM) Program through which they receive 12 weeks of 1:1 coaching from a professional in their desired career field. This experience has been intentionally designed, with the pair setting goals at the beginning of the partnership and making progress towards them throughout.
The PM Program is one of the most impactful interventions in our post-course experience: 1 out of 3 Fellows who participated in the program secured a career-accelerating opportunity during the Spring 2022 cycle.
To meet the needs of our Fellows, we are shifting our efforts this year to focus on those who have not received a career-accelerating opportunity during their college experience. We also strive to create better mentoring matches with each cycle.
Overall, the number of Fellows in the PM program has seen consistent growth over the past 3 cycles, with the number of participants increasing by nearly 48% from 2021 to 2023.
“It was truly rewarding to serve as a Braven Professional Mentor to my mentee Kailyn who showed remarkable dedication and focus throughout our journey together. I witnessed her consistent responsibility, unwavering commitment, and enthusiastic approach to learning and applying new skills sets.
Kailyn’s positive attitude and passion for growth have been inspiring. What stands out most to me is her exceptional ability to balance her academic pursuits, professional endeavors, and personal life with remarkable dedication. Her resourcefulness, efficiency, unwavering focus, and proactive nature are qualities that define her.
Kudos to the Braven team for putting together a well planned and structured mentorship and leadership program that prepared and supported both professional mentors and mentees on the journey!”
Scrum Master, Lululemon
“As a first-gen student, I have gone through my entire college academic experience learning about the importance of maintaining a professional profile on my own; but then I learned about Braven’s Professional Mentorship Program. My mentor Florence was an incredible mentor to me and she dedicated her free time to me every week to make sure we hit those small (and big!) goals and milestones. I had the opportunity to receive guidance and advice within the field that I am pursuing a career in, thanks to Florence’s professional background in marketing. I am extremely grateful for this program and Florence for helping me build confidence within my own professional presence, where I was then able to obtain my first internship five weeks into the program!”
Leadership Development and Marketing Intern,
RippleMatch (New York, NY)
Assistant Vice President
at Barclays, current
Leadership Coach, and
Braven alumna
from Rutgers
University-Newark
“Braven helped me figure out my passions, what I wanted to do, and develop the skills, networks, and experiences I needed. With the support and training from Braven, I was equipped with the skills to land a strong job at Barclays with a career path, and now I’m paying it forward to the next generation.”
Our collaboration with Barclays helps open doors to the American promise.
Barclays colleagues have volunteered with Braven
students upskilled
cumulative volunteer hours
to date
Sponsored the Capstone Challenge and multiple onsite talent showcases.
Supported the launch of two new sites: The City College of New York and Delaware State University.
“Partnering with Braven has been a win-win. It’s helped us hire incredible talent, develop our bench of inclusive leaders through skilled-volunteering, and advance equity in the communities where we live and work. We are proud to support Braven in its expansion to Delaware State University (DSU) given our long-standing partnership with the university, and we look forward to the role our colleagues will play in coaching and mentoring the Braven Fellows at DSU and across the country.”
CEO, Barclays US Consumer Bank
In fall 2022, Braven launched our first fully virtual partnership with Northern Illinois University.
Fellows completed
the course in FY23.
Mock interviewers collectively volunteered 530 hours
Leadership Coaches collectively volunteered 2,170 hours
“I enjoyed getting to learn all fundamentals and qualifications of the career readiness and preparation process. Undoubtedly, I took for granted the efforts and due diligence that goes into strengthening and utilizing one’s career assets. As someone who will be entering the workforce, I can most certainly say that it makes a gigantic impact in who employers scout and deem as most qualified for hire.”
Business Industry Intern, GSA
“Volunteering with Braven has returned so much value to me in my professional and personal life. The experience helped me find my leadership style, develop mentoring and coaching skills, and learn to facilitate sensitive conversations in group settings; plus it’s made me more competent and confident when working with people who come from different generations and walks of life. While volunteering is foremost about giving back, I have received just as much value in return, which is part of what brings me back to Braven again and again.”
Transformation and Change Manager,
Linkedin
President,
Northern Illinois
University
“We’re pleased with the progress our students are making with UNIV 301 through our partnership with Braven. The course provides valuable career support, leadership development and mentorship to our students and will help them as they transition from college to the workplace and beyond.”
In fall 2022, Braven launched our partnership with the City College of New York, our second college within the City University of New York system.
Fellows completed
the course in FY23.
Mock interviewers collectively volunteered 748 hours
Leadership Coaches collectively volunteered 2,800 hours
“Braven has helped me to boost my confidence and appreciate my unique story. My story is a part of my personal legacy and cultural heritage, and learning to effectively convey it has had a profound impact on the way I present myself to the world. This valuable lesson has improved my communication skills, and it has helped me to become the person I aspire to be.”
Spring 2023 Fellow
“As a Braven Leadership Coach, I help underrepresented youth develop resilience and leadership skills. I’m grateful for the opportunity to give back and share my experiences. The program has been transformative for me, both personally and professionally. I’ve learned to navigate diverse spaces with confidence and empathy, and I’ve developed deep relationships with my students. I’m forever grateful for the growth, purpose, and joy that being a Braven coach has brought into my life.”
Spring 2023 Leadership Coach
President,
City College
of New York
“Increasingly–and appropriately, I think–colleges are being held accountable for student success beyond graduation and as reflected in their career trajectories. As we concentrate more on career readiness, we’re also seeing big improvements in student resilience and persistence. Working with Braven has taken our efforts in this area to an entirely new level, and the connection between students’ academic success and their ability to envision a career trajectory has grown all the more evident over the course of this partnership.”
Case Worker,
Illinois Department
of Human Services
Photo: Joe Mazza |
Brave Lux Inc
New Fellows completed BravenX in the 2022-2023 school year.
20
Fellows who identify as more than one race or ethnicity are counted
more than once in the figures above.
KIPP Public Schools’ vision is to ensure every child grows up free to create the future they want for themselves and their community. There are 280 KIPP Public Schools in the country, and Braven is proud to partner with the KIPP Foundation to support the graduates of those schools as they go on to college and prepare for their careers.
Since 2021, we’ve worked with the KIPP Foundation to provide access to BravenX for more than 60 KIPP alumni, no matter the college they attend.
“Our partnership with Braven has allowed us to better prepare our alumni with the skills, mindsets, and networks necessary to successfully enter their career fields.The partnership has also provided us an additional avenue to continue dismantling the visible and invisible barriers that exist for the BIPOC communities from which our alumni come from. Through Braven, our alumni are learning key pre-professional skills, building a deeper understanding of their aptitudes, strengths, and how they connect to their careers, while engaging in rigorous real world professional experiences. What makes Braven so unique is the fact that students join an ecosystem of support, and instead of going into the workforce blindly, they leave college feeling prepared, empowered, and more competitively positioned to launch their careers.”
Director of Undergraduate Career Services
KIPP Forward
Research Assistant,
Emory University
“Before BravenX, I wasn’t entirely confident in summarizing my academic and extracurricular goals, accomplishments, or plans. After taking part in the Mock Interview sessions and continuing my professional development in the Professional Mentor program, I have a better sense of what qualities and activities I’d like to highlight in a story unique to me. I’m so glad to have gained these key skills within an empowering and dedicated environment.”
“Before BravenX, I wasn’t entirely confident in summarizing my academic and extracurricular goals, accomplishments, or plans. After taking part in the Mock Interview sessions and continuing my professional development in the Professional Mentor Program, I have a better sense of what qualities and activities I’d like to highlight in a story unique to me. I’m so glad to have gained these key skills within an empowering and dedicated environment.”
National Louis University
Northern Illinois University
Achieve Atlanta
Charter School Growth Fund
Chicago Scholars
Chicago State University
City Year
Cooperman College Scholars
KIPP Foundation
KIPP New Jersey - Newark
Noble Network
Rivet School
Wallin Education Partners
($250k+ and programmatic support)
Allstate
Deloitte
Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women
Morgan Stanley
NBA Foundation
Salesforce
($100k+ and programmatic support)
Anonymous
Cognizant US Foundation
Northern Trust
ServiceNow
($25k+ and programmatic support)
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance
Blackbaud
CIBC Bank USA
CME Group Foundation
Okta
Old National Bank
Panasonic
UBS
($10k+ and programmatic support)
Anonymous x4
PierceGray
Rakuten
($5k+ and programmatic support)
Bain and Company
Chicago Bulls
Cramer-Krasselt
Fintec in Action
GLG
JPMorgan Chase
Kindle Communications
Kirkland & Ellis
Loop Capital
McKinsey and Company
Medline
Wipfli
Anonymous
A Better Chicago
Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation
Charles Ashby Lewis & Penny Bender Sebring
Cleveland Avenue Foundation for Education
Crankstart Foundation
Crown Family Philanthropies
Cynthia A. Niekamp Foundation
David Cohen & Kristin Argo
Deloitte Foundation
Finnegan Family Foundation
John and Kathleen Schreiber Foundation
Kelly & Thom Mannard
Mansueto Foundation
Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation
Osa Foundation
Paul M. Angell Family Foundation
Prosper Road Foundation
Ron & Kathy Sonenthal
Sandy & Jim Reynolds
Sarah Peter
Siragusa Family Foundation
Square One Foundation
Susan Crown Exchange
The Mayer and Morris Kaplan Family Foundation
Vivo Foundation