Alesha Alli
Spring 2020 Fellow
Braven’s mission is to empower promising, underrepresented young people—first-generation college students, students from low-income backgrounds, and/or students of color—with the skills, confidence, experiences, and networks necessary to transition from college to strong first jobs, which lead to meaningful careers and lives of impact.
Braven is a career-accelerating experience that prepares promising young people—many of whom are people of color, from low income backgrounds, and the first in their families to attend college—to secure a strong first opportunity after college graduation.
We work with higher education and employer partners to offer a life-changing experience that begins with a semester-long course for college students followed by support that lasts through graduation.
Together, we are helping to open up access to the American Promise, empowering a generation of leaders who mirror the demographics of our country.
As a nation, we promise our young people that if they go to college and graduate, they’ll be able to land a strong first job and life of opportunity. While the bachelor’s degree is still the surest path to economic mobility, systemic racial and economic barriers mean that promise isn’t coming true for far too many students, especially students from humble beginnings.
Braven and our innovative partners are helping to change that. Together, we empower Fellows with the skills, networks, experiences, and confidence they need for economic mobility. And our Fellows are proving what’s possible.
UPLIFT IN STRONG JOB ATTAINMENT FOR BRAVEN GRADS COMPARED WITH PEERS NATIONALLY 1
Fellows on the path to American Promise
UPLIFT IN EARNINGS FOR BRAVEN GRADS COMPARED WITH PEERS NATIONALLY
A full-time role that requires a bachelor’s degree and includes some combination of promotion pathways, employee benefits, and a market-competitive starting salary, or enrollment in graduate school.
A role that does not require a bachelor’s degree but helps a student’s financial sustainability, is aligned with their career interests, and will likely lead to more career-accelerating possibilities through skill development
A role that does not require a bachelor’s degree, offers limited runway to additional career-accelerating opportunities, and is not aligned with a student’s career interests
Our dedicated volunteers and innovative partners are at the core of our work and impact. Together, we’re empowering the diverse leaders our future demands.
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Braven began in 2013 as a pilot with 17 students at San José State University. In the decade since, we have grown to serve 7,400+ Fellows at seven schools across five regions nationwide. Our annual impact and jobs reports highlight Braven’s influence through the stories of our inspiring Fellows.