Bottom Line

by Justin Strasburger and Steve Colón

The Boston Globe’s special report, The Valedictorians Project, brings light to an important issue across the nation. As a community, we’re failing to support students in high school on the path to pursue a college degree and a fulfilling career. We have a personal connection to The Valedictorians Project through the 26 Bottom Line students among the 113 valedictorians profiled. Of those 26 students, 24 have earned a Bachelor’s degree. One works for us today.

The education system in the U.S. has remained largely unchanged for nearly a century. Working hard STILL doesn’t predict success for all students. Students are left behind based on their race, their experience with poverty, and/or their family’s educational history. The broken pathway between high school, college, and career is the challenge Bottom Line has been addressing for years through one-to-one coaching. We believe deeply in the potential of these students and the life-changing impact of a bachelor’s degree.

While focusing on top students underscores the issue in our community, we must view these stories as a window into the experience of a larger group of students with equal potential and realize the opportunity for our community when we invest in talent. We must commit to our students that we will arm them with the skills, support, and access to networks that are proven to drive success in both college and career, but have been inaccessible for too many students simply because of their backgrounds.

A degree is an essential credential to fuel social and economic mobility, but students also need to be able to use their degree to launch their careers. Over two-thirds of college graduates struggle to start their careers and for those who find jobs, the overwhelming majority (85 percent) land jobs through connections. Research indicates that the first job (or first destination) is critical – those who start in a job for which they are overqualified are five times more likely to remain underemployed after five years.

Though we’re embarking on new work, we’ve seen the impact of what happens when we set our expectations high. Over the last two decades, the Lewis Family Foundation in Massachusetts helped us grow to serve more students in the most under-served areas of Boston. They’ve challenged us and other grantees – as well as the corporate community – to be accountable to our student outcomes in the job market, with success. Their most recent report shows they exceeded their 2018 jobs goal, demonstrating the importance of issuing an ambitious vision for students. There is no reason we can’t replicate this in New York, Chicago, and other cities across the country.

Lasting change requires the collective effort of a community united by a common purpose. At the end of the day, no one finds success without support. It is up to all of us as a community to provide support and guide students to it for our communities and industries to thrive. This year as students across our cities walk across the stage to receive their diplomas, let’s work together to ensure that each and every one of them has access to resources that help them achieve success as they navigate their future.