Lorna Contreras-Townsend
Occupation:Senior Manager, Workforce-Diversity Outreach, Gap, Inc.
Students Rising Above understands the real-world value of education, addresses the many obstacles faced by first-generation college students, and sets goals that are achievable, empowering, and measurable.
THE PROBLEM
Fewer College Graduates
10% of youth from low-income families hold a bachelor's degree by age 25 vs. 77% from middle to higher income families.
Lower Income
Those with a bachelor’s degree earn 62% more in income than those with no college degree.
Higher Dropout Rate
66% of low-income college students do not complete a bachelor’s degree.
Shortage In The Workforce
If current attainment rates don’t improve, by 2025 there will be a shortage of 16 million college-educated adults in the US workforce.
CHALLENGING THE ODDS
Rising Stars Students are overcoming tremendous odds.
-
100%
Low to moderate income
-
67%
Live below the federal poverty line
-
96%
First-generation college student
-
95%
Identify as people of color
-
25%
Are in foster care, guardianships, or on their own
-
21%
Have experienced homelessness
REDEFINING SUCCESS
-
100%
Of SRA Rising Stars Students accepted to a four-year college
-
91%
Complete a bachelor’s degree (34% national ave. for low-income youth)
-
78%
Are in career-ladder roles or graduate school within 12 months of college graduation
-
100%
Receive some sort of financial aid
-
100%
Have medical insurance
-
64%
Complete college with no debt
SRA RISING STARS BY THE NUMBERS
College and Universities
SRA has sent more than 835 students to colleges throughout the U.S.
Criteria
Students Rising Above values character, drive, and potential, accepting candidates outside traditional GPA standards
- 33% 2.7 - 3.1 GPA
- 33% 3.2 - 3.6 GPA
- 33% 3.7+ GPA
Career Development
-
742
Students and alumni currently being served
-
78%
Of SRA students are in career-ladder jobs or graduate school within 12 months of college graduation
-
130+
Employer partners
-
400+
Career mentors
-
200+
Personalized job interview prep sessions annually
-
10
On-site career insight events annually
-
267
267 student summer internships in 2017 including business, nonprofit/social justice, tech, government/law, youth/education, healthcare, and STEM
SUCCESS STORIES
SRA Hub
-
Thousands
Registered Users from more than 60 different high schools, nonprofits and colleges
-
12
Live webinars per month
-
24 hr
Response time to all student questions from our experts
-
450+
Resources, articles, lesson plans, and worksheets available to students and teachers
-
3,700+
Resumes created
-
1,100+
Financial aid budgets created
FUTURE
By the end of 2019, we hope to have
30,000 Registered Hub Users