Bottom Line

Lily, a fourth year at University of Illinois at Chicago, will be the first in her family to graduate both high school and college.  

“Growing up, I had this close relationship with education,” she said, thinking back on her experiences. “My parents always told me how hardworking they were growing up. College shows all the hard work my parents have put in, and I want to honor that.” 

Lily found out about Bottom Line through a friend in her junior year of high school. She was already involved in many extracurricular activities and looking for others to join.  

“Bottom Line was by far the best application I could have submitted. The amount of opportunities I got through Bottom Line, I couldn’t have gotten alone. Bottom Line has been an incredible support system,” she said. 

One of those opportunities was the Bottom Line externship program. An externship is a short-term, paid opportunity that allows undergraduate students to be exposed to a specific industry, role, and/or office environment. The goal is to provide students with relevant experiences to build career-related competencies, build professional networks, and become more competitive for future internships and post-college opportunities. 

Lily first applied for a Bottom Line externship in 2020 as an opportunity to gain relevant experience for her medical school applications. In college, Lily already juggled two jobs alongside her coursework and a position within her sorority. With this schedule, it was hard to find research opportunities and other extracurriculars that fit with her interests. Bottom Line’s externship program provided a great opportunity for her to gain more experience in her field of study. 

Lily applied for this opportunity, and worked with her Advisor to build up her interviewing skills, since she had not interviewed since high school. With the help of her Advisor, Lily also found other resources to help her prepare for the process. 

“There are so many resources you can use to mock interview with yourself,” she shared. 

She found sample interview questions and wrote down possible answers to ensure she’d be prepared in the interview itself. Her Advisor was also able to share resume and cover letter templates too. 

Lily was placed in an externship with a local clinic. Unfortunately, before the start of the externship, the COVID-19 pandemic began. As universities, colleges, and workplaces across the country turned to remote work, the in-person opportunity she was looking forward to was no longer available. 

While it was disappointing, Lily found other ways to take advantage of the transition. 

“The pandemic forced me to take a break. It allowed me to dive back into school.”  

With her jobs going remote or modifying their hours, Lily was able focus on even more on her school work. She received the best grades of her college career, even ending up on the Dean’s List. 

A year later in spring 2021, Bottom Line offered new externship opportunities, and Lily decided to apply again. This time, she received an opportunity through Crown Family Philanthropies. This connected to her interest in philanthropy, something she learned from her parents.  

“It was incredible. I met so many people in the span of 3 days.” 

It was a fast-paced experience, and she got a chance to better understand the various roles in the organization. While not directly tied to the medical field that she plans to go into, Lily was able to gain valuable experience she plans to bring into her future work. She was particularly interested in a project that she worked on during her time there focused on diversity initiatives.  

“Diversity has always been something that I look for in future workplaces. Starting the conversation is crucial, but I had never thought about what I could do in the workplace to make it more physical. That’s something I want to move forward with, finding ways to make the spaces I’m in more inclusive,” she shared. 

Lily has a year and a half left until she graduates, and she’s already researching medical schools with her Advisor. 

“I’ve had the same plan since high school. I love this path that I’m on.” 

Lily’s goal is to earn her Bachelor’s in neuroscience and then go onto medical school or graduate school. Though she is still deciding what area she will focus on, she is interested in researching Alzheimer’s and other neurogenerative diseases, as well as studying neurology, surgery, and oncology.  

Externship

Amy, a fourth-year student at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will be among the first generation in her family to graduate from college in the United States, and she’s grateful for how her experience in college is preparing her for her career.

“For me, college is really important, and I’m thankful for the opportunity because you learn so much…It’s an opportunity to use all your knowledge and get more in-depth training and practice for real life,” she said.

Amy has been a part of Bottom Line since she was a high school senior in the Access program, and is now a part of the college Success program.

“Working with [my Advisor], I feel really great. She’s helped me every time I need her,” she shared.

Whether it was working on the long and complicated verification process for financial aid or learning more about how to find and land internship opportunities, Amy and her Advisor partnered to ensure she had the resources she needed to continue being successful throughout her educational journey.

With COVID-19 only exacerbating existing challenges for students looking for career-relevant experience, Amy was excited to interview for and participate in a Bottom Line externship at ARCO/Murray last summer.

An externship is a short-term, paid opportunity that allows an undergraduate student to be exposed to a specific industry, role, and/or office environment. The goal of externships is to provide students with short term career relevant experiences early on in their college careers to build career-related competencies, build professional networks, and become more competitive for future internships and post-college opportunities.

Amy had the opportunity to observe different roles and teams each day, visit job sites, attend client meetings, and be a part of different projects.

“Every day is packed, so I saw a lot of things I didn’t know before and was able to get hands-on experience,” she shared.

In addition to the hands-on experience, Amy was also able to learn more about the interview processes she could expect moving forward in her field through in-depth conversations with her externship program director.

Looking ahead to summer 2022, Amy has already had two internship offers, and has accepted an internship at mid-sized construction company.

Reflecting on her professional development experience thus far, she hopes that students earlier in their education are also able to focus on early professional development opportunities while also finding balance.

“Networking is the main game in finding a job, and internships are a great way to get experience. A lot of companies now have the expectation that you’ll have internship experience before you go into the job market,” she shared. “…But college is not just studying, and you should enjoy your time. Join a student organization that will give you free time and balance yourself.”

After she graduates in December 2022, Amy plans to continue her work at an international construction company that reflects her interest in diverse cultures.

ARCO/Murray, College Success, Externship

“It’s not just an advisor-student relationship; it’s a relationship where you can really open up about your experience.”

These were the sentiments of Marilyn, a student in Bottom Line’s Success program.

Marilyn was thriving academically last semester. Her desire to help and protect those around her and her interest in an action-oriented career came together in her study of criminal justice and her dream of becoming a detective after graduation. Her college environment, however, left her feeling isolated and concerned about her finances. A studious and motivated student, Marilyn struggled with finding like-minded friends at her college, which had a prevalent party scene dominated by Greek Life, which was cost-prohibitive for her. The social isolation was exacerbated by financial worries. Due to limited and unreliable transportation, finding part-time work to supplement her financial aid was difficult.

Marilyn was at a crossroads. While she was eager to continue her education, she knew the college she was attending wasn’t the right fit for her. Despite feeling socially isolated on campus, she knew that she didn’t have to face these challenges alone. Marilyn met with her Bottom Line advisor regularly, and together they discussed different ways she could overcome the challenges she was facing.

After much deliberation, Marilyn chose to transfer to Harold Washington College. Marilyn worked closely with her Bottom Line advisor to create a project-management timeline of everything she needed to complete to ensure the transfer went smoothly. Marilyn felt confident knowing that she could schedule regular meetings with her advisor through every step of the transfer process, from ensuring that she had the financial aid to transfer to Harold Washington College, to ensuring the classes she registered for would count toward her criminal justice major. Together, they worked tirelessly to ensure Marilyn stayed on track to achieve her educational and future career goals.

Today, Marilyn is thriving academically, emotionally, and socially. At Harold Washington College, Marilyn has found a diverse group of supportive friends that make her feel a part of her college community. Not only is it a more affordable college choice, its location in the Chicago Loop has also made finding part-time work far more accessible for her. Marilyn is inspired by her professors and classes that provide the mental rigor she craves. Rejuvenated by her new educational environment, she is excited to continue exploring the criminal justice field.

Marilyn partnered with Bottom Line to ensure she had the practical and emotional support she needed to transfer to a college that would be the best fit for her to be successful. After completing her Associate’s Degree, Bottom Line will continue to work with Marilyn in her pursuit of a career in law enforcement by supporting her through her Bachelor’s Degree and helping her select a university for her Master’s Degree.

 

Worcester State University, Class of 2017

Andrew came to Bottom Line as a high school junior and stayed with us through college.

“The Access program was really helpful in keeping me on track with the application process. I appreciated that my advisor guided me and didn’t tell me what to do.”

As a Success student with Bottom Line, Andrew appreciated the opportunities we provided him for career exploration. “My advisors pushed me and recommended that I attend various events that Bottom Line hosted. Attending the different events helped me figure out what I might be interested in and where I might see myself in the future.”

After graduating from Worcester State with a degree in Business Administration and Economics, Andrew joined State Street Global Advisors. He found the opportunity at Bottom Line Go Far Forum. He connected with a representative at the career fair portion of the eventand got an internship. That internship turned into a full-time position.

At State Street, Andrew learned about what it means to be a professional and how to lead and manage projects. He learned how to work cross-functionally to come up with solutions to improve processes and systems.

Ultimately, though, State Street restructured, and his position was impacted. This allowed him to evaluate what he learned about his role at State Street and how it aligned with his career goals and aspirations.

Andrew is now working at CVS Health as a Senior Strategy Consultant in Product Development and loves it. His team is working on a new product to improve the patient experience. His team has taken the new product from just a very manual process to building out the right operational infrastructure to support the growth of the service, and it has been thrilling. It’s been exhilarating to see the product grow and evolve, and also to see CVS Health is positioning itself in the future of healthcare.

“I’m still figuring out what I want to do when I grow up, but this experience has shown me I want to stay in the realm of product development and entrepreneurship. I am essentially learning how to grow a business and maybe one day I might start my own business.”

Andrew is considering the possibility of going back to grad school at some point in the future.

“Pursuing a college education has really prepared me to enter the workforce and give me a better understanding of what I want to do in life.  A college education allowed me to take part in experiential learning opportunities, such as studying abroad and internships. It’s given me a choice.”

Baruch College, Class of 2020

Shaffiou is a senior at Baruch College who has been in Bottom Line’s program since his first year of college. Shaffiou is an economics major who hopes to pursue a career in finance and – eventually – politics.

He says that his Bottom Line advisors have helped him significantly throughout his time in college, particularly in terms of managing his time, doing well in his classes, and finding internship and job opportunities to pursue.

“Because of my experience with Bottom Line, I have a strong foundation and I am ahead of the game.  And I am just one of the thousands of students they coach, mentor and support.”

His college experience has certainly been a busy one. Shaffiou has held multiple internships and leadership roles. He has also been honored recently as a Forbes Under 30 scholar, signifying his strong record of achievement in academics/leadership/etc., and he has been invited to attend the Cox-State Department Diplomacy Seminar, at which he will explore possible careers in politics and diplomacy.

His internship as a financial analyst with Prudential offered him exciting opportunities to stretch himself professionally – he was tasked with re-working one of the systems Prudential Capital Group (PCG) uses for financial modeling, and though he found the job challenging, and did not know how to approach it at first, he persevered and came up with a new system that the company is now using. He gained significant new critical thinking and data analysis skills through the experience and is already planning to return to Prudential for a follow-up internship next summer.

Shaffiou also attended the Summer Venture in Management Program this past summer, designed to give students from communities who are underrepresented at Harvard a crash course in the type of work done at their business school. Shaffiou spent a week engaging with other students on how to solve complicated problems in project management, strategic planning, etc. He gained a great deal from the experience and is currently weighing his options for applying to Harvard Business School directly out of undergrad.

University of Illinois at Chicago, Class of 2022

As early as elementary school, Alicia’s classmates were pulled into dangerous lifestyles that offered little hope for positive futures. Alicia didn’t want that for herself, and she doesn’t want that for the generations coming after her. “That was the catalyst in me wanting to be involved in criminal justice.”

Alicia is currently a sophomore at the University of Illinois at Chicago and is working toward a degree in criminology with a minor in public policy and psychology.

Ultimately, Alicia would like to be a change-maker in her community – supporting Chicago by helping to keep children out of the correctional system, and by offering guidance and opportunities to those who already are.

Her work in this area is impressive. She currently visits her previous elementary school and works with students through band practice and writing exercises. She believes in using the arts to help teach children motivation, as well as how to set and achieve goals. This mentorship is one of her own creation. Alicia reached out to her old band teacher to ask if there were any opportunities to work with the students – so the school invited to visit when she can, based on her own schedule. “I know what my peers were up against at their age, and I just want to help keep them on the right road.”

Alicia joined Bottom Line as a Success student at the recommendation of her friend, who had gone through the Access program.

While Alicia knows what problem she wants to solve with her career, she’s still exploring the best way to do that. Her advisor has played a significant role in that. She challenges Alicia to be creative and think of all the different avenues she could take to make a change, and what she’d have to do to excel in those different avenues.

“I’m looking at all the different ways I can attack this problem and see which way my skill set and interests can best fit in.”

So far, that line of thinking has helped Alicia into two very different, and eye-opening, internships. With help from her advisor, Alicia has interned with the City Clerk’s office and is currently interning with the Department of Corrections.

At the City Clerk’s office, Alicia was able to see how she could effect change from an institutional standpoint. And, now, she is learning how to make a change on the ground, with individuals already in the system.

Alicia interviews juveniles coming out of Cook County Department of Corrections to see which services they are eligible for upon release. Depending on their eligibility, she then works with them to help get that ball rolling, so they have a plan in place when they are released.

“It’s tough to prepare yourself when you’re going into one of the biggest DOCs in the state, but I’m more motivated than ever. Not only am I learning about prevention, but I’m learning about what happens when crime prevention isn’t there or doesn’t work and what that means for the individuals who are affected.”

This internship lasts for the entire academic year, and she is very excited to learn more and gain more perspective.

“I am looking forward to simply being able to work with people in that environment. It is difficult working in the jail because you see things that not everyone talks about, and I am interested in becoming more aware of what goes on inside the jail. While I am working for a research project, I want to make sure I see these gentlemen as more than just a number or statistic in our research.”

Bottom Line has helped Alicia gain access to these opportunities – by sharing the opportunities, supporting Alicia as she fills out applications, and helping her with the interviewing process.

“The most important thing my advisors have given me is their support. They’ve always been so enthusiastic about exploring opportunities. They’ve been cheerleaders for me.”

For Alicia, a college degree is giving her the freedom to explore her interests and honor her family. “This isn’t just for me, but to thank my family for all they’ve given up for me. Leaving your home and all you know to give your children a better chance is one of the most selfless things you can do. I owe my parents my success.”

One of the most significant barriers to college completion is cost. For students who come from low-income backgrounds, the cost of college can seem impossible.

College affordability is a more significant barrier for Black and Latino students than for other students. Recent research shows that 49% of Black students and 36% of Latino students defaulted on their college loans at least once throughout 12 years, compared to only 21% of White students and 11% of Asian students. Black and Latino students also had higher college loan balances over time than other students. Black students owed an average of 113% of the amount initially borrowed after 12 years, and Latino students owe an average of 83% while White students owed just 65%.

JPMorgan Chase and Bottom Line are working together to combat these barriers. JPMorgan Chase’s The Fellowship Initiative (TFI) is a program that supports the educational development of Black and Latino young men from low-income communities in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York City. As a college access and persistence organization, Bottom Line is well-positioned to support these young men in persisting through college.

One of the young men that Bottom Line and TFI are working with is Carlos Garcia Jr.

I am currently a sophomore at the University of Illinois at Chicago pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing with a goal of becoming a certified nursing assistant. I plan to pursue a career as a triage nurse and ultimately become a nurse practitioner. As a junior in high school, I volunteered at a hospital, shadowing different staff members throughout their day. Being in healthcare is a big deal because of the time and dedication the doctors and nurses put in to help the people they’re caring for. Their commitment is what influenced me to choose a career in healthcare.

Growing up in the Back of the Yards on the South Side of Chicago, I didn’t see college as an option for me. I never thought I would be going to college. I figured I would work after high school because few people in my community pursued a postsecondary degree.

In Back of the Yards, about 30 percent of its population lives below the poverty line, according to a 2013 analysis. The neighborhood is part of the New City community, where about a third of the population over 25 is without a high school diploma and half of the residents between the ages of 20 and 24 are unemployed.

I was able to look at the real world at a young age and saw what was going on in my community. I saw the violence that was occurring and didn’t want to live that life. I wasn’t the smartest student in the class, but I wanted to be different. I had a dream to fulfill my potential.

I attended Instituto Health Sciences Career Academy. The school may have lacked material resources (if a class had books, they were only used in class and returned immediately after), but it certainly excelled in building a motivating, involved, and influential community.

Athletics helped shape me into who I am today. I was the captain for both the Soccer and Track and Field team all four years. I’m thankful to my coaches for helping me develop my leadership skills through athletics. No matter what the outcome of the games or meets were, they were committed to supporting the team both as a group and individually. During my senior year of high school, I received the “Athlete of the Year” award. My coaches and teammates pushed me to do better every day, and they saw the potential I had to lead others. Being a captain helped with my communication skills and created lifelong bonds. I found my voice; I went from being quiet to being able to motivate and inspire my peers.

The community of peers and mentors at school helped motivate me to pursue college. My Math, Science, and Spanish teachers believed in me and always drove me to do better. Because of them, I became dedicated to my academics. When I was struggling in class, I went to them after school for help.  I’m so grateful for the time that they dedicated to me. The people I met in high school brought out the best in me. I’m thankful for my guidance counselor for helping me find the path to where I am today. I owe a lot of my success to her because if she didn’t help me fill out my application for TFI, I wouldn’t have navigated my way to college. She helped me fill it out last minute and encouraged me to pursue higher education.

TFI changed my mindset; they helped make going to college a reality. Three Saturdays a month, I met with TFI. Being in a community of 40 Latino and Black young men who were all working toward the same goal made a huge impact. We spent the entire day focusing on strengthening our academic skills and learning about social justice issues, all connecting to how we could make a difference in our communities. When we started to get our acceptance letters, we cheered each other on because it was a huge accomplishment and it showed our hard work was paying off. Rudy Lozano, the current VP of The Fellowship Initiative, helped us speak up and find our voice. He changed each of us. With the support of TFI and the Chance Program, I was able to obtain a scholarship which is helping pay for school.

Since graduating from the TFI program, Carlos has gone back and works with the second cohort of TFI students. He now works with Rudy as a colleague. Rudy watched Carlos grow from a shy boy with a dream to a successful young man who is making it happen.

“TFI gave Carlos confidence. He’s always been determined but started off in a shy quiet way of doing that. Now, he’s much more willing and longing to get in front of others to inspire them. He has no limits in terms of his public speaking and getting in front of an audience to share his experiences and support students and their parents.”

Rudy worked closely with Carlos and his family during his time with TFI. While Carlos faced a lot of obstacles, “you wouldn’t know from him that he has just as many struggles and hardships as other students. He has a strength that allows him to persevere through any struggles that may be going on. He’s a leader in his home. He’s a leader in his family. He’s a leader in his community.”

Being a fellow with TFI has also given Carlos access to the Bottom Line program.

TFI connected me with Bottom Line which is helping me move forward with college. Jarred, my Bottom Line advisor is an older brother figure in my life. Jarred’s responsiveness lets me know he has my back. Instead of telling me what to do, Jarred gives me options and supports whatever decision I make. Jarred’s pep talks motivate me to keep trying, even when it seems impossible. With this type of communication, I am able to manage my life in college and plan accordingly.

I’ve seen many of my peers drop out of college. It’s hard because they don’t have someone to talk to the way I do. If something is going on, I can speak with Jarred.

“Carlos has been an inspiration to work with. Driven to succeed, he’s always aiming for the top. When things get challenging, I make sure we take the time to step back and look at the bigger picture. This gives us a chance to highlight his goals, anticipate the obstacles ahead, and plan accordingly. He’s taken an increasingly proactive role on campus and is beginning to distinguish himself as a leader among his peers. I see him continuing to grow into that role as he nears graduation,” said Jarred.

At one point I wasn’t going to be able to pay my tuition but Jarred worked with me to find a way to make it work. Education is expensive, and if it weren’t for Bottom Line’s help, I would probably be working more hours and possibly getting lower grades because the classes are just getting harder and I need more time studying.

I’ve been able to focus more on academics now that the stress of securing financial aid has been alleviated, and as a result, I’ve seen my GPA go from a 2.7 to a 3.2.

My community is my motivation for me to give it my all in college. I don’t want to let anyone down because everyone invested a lot in me. As a fellow, I’m grateful for the support that JPMorgan and Bottom Line offer me. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I’m thankful for all the resources that both programs provided because it indeed can change the life of a young man.

The support of my parents also pushed me to succeed. Both of my parents are immigrants, and I’m the first one to go to college and the first one to be in this position. I want to make them proud.

Carlos is the oldest of three, and he hopes that his success will inspire his younger siblings to seek out similar opportunities to grow, learn, and succeed. His younger brother is now a member of TFI and is following in Carlos’ footsteps.

by Steve Colón

As the leader of an organization that works alongside students as they get into and graduate from college, having the top news stories focus on the college admission process is exciting. The story circulating, unfortunately, exposes the unspoken and illegal practices that help a few very privileged students gain acceptance to college, especially the most selective and competitive ones.

While the media is right to focus on this scandal, a more significant and pervasive issue requires equal if not more attention. Right now, hundreds of thousands of students from low-income backgrounds are navigating their own postsecondary journeys, facing hardships perpetuated by an antiquated education system which is not designed to give ALL of them the tools they need to overcome the barriers they’ll face. They strive for the same opportunities as their wealthier peers, to develop their interests and talents into a career, but their path to success is disproportionally cluttered.

Education is an engine of upward mobility. A college degree is the single most effective intervention to poverty. Students from low-income backgrounds who obtain a college degree are five times more likely than their peers to find financial health. People with a college degree will earn $1M more over the course of their lifetime than those without. We see these results with students we serve – the average starting salary for Bottom Line’s most recent graduates is two times the amount of the average family income of our student population.

The sad truth of the current news story is that, while the alleged actions of these families were blatantly illegal, their children already benefit from many advantages. Students from high-income backgrounds are:

• more likely to have access to rigorous college preparatory coursework and robust early college programs (AP, IB, Dual Credit)
• more likely to have access to additional academic support, extracurricular activities, and SAT /ACT prep
• more likely to have dedicated college counselors to help with the process of getting into a postsecondary institution
• less likely to need to work during high school and college
• more likely to have personal networks that support them in finding quality first destination jobs regardless of college, academic major, or GPA

Just by helping students navigate the current system, the Bottom Line model gets excellent results. We expect over 96 percent of our high school seniors will commit to a college by the end of May, and 77 percent of those students will earn their degree within six years through their dedication and hard work coupled with Bottom Line’s step-by-step and personalized guidance.

While it is easy to shake our heads at the cheating scandal, I ask that we also extend our hands to students whose talent can easily get lost in a flawed process. Let’s make sure that all students – regardless of socio-economics, skin color, or other marginalized identities – get a fair shot at achieving their dreams and create a ripple effect that will uplift our communities.

“I choose Bottom Line because they make it happen. They practice what they preach – you can see it. They tell you they can help, and they do it, and they’re honest. They make things work with very little. It’s an organization that backs up what they say, and I’m thrilled to be a part of that.”

Rich Pierre joined Bottom Line when he was a teenager attending Boston Latin Academy.

Going into senior year, I was mainly focused on athletics — football and basketball. Sports were my passion, and I didn’t consider college until a BLA classmate mentioned that she knew someone who had worked with Bottom Line and had positive results. I explored Bottom Line because of her suggestion, and it was the best decision I’ve ever made.

At Bottom Line, I found a vibrant community of advisors, peers, and mentors who all wanted me to find success. While my parents were invested in seeing me do well, going to college had never been pushed very much. It was at Bottom Line that I realized the importance of a college degree, and what that could mean for my future.

My advisor, Sarah Place, was the catalyst to encourage me to look at some schools. Sarah was willing to work around my busy athletics schedule and made sure I had no excuses as I weighed my options.

“Rich struggled with finding the time to work on applications during the fall. He was playing on his high school’s football team, so he had practice almost every day and even had games on Saturdays, so it was difficult to meet in person. We did some work by phone and email and then when football season was over he came in almost every week for six weeks until he finished all his applications,” said Place.

Sarah’s motivational phone calls helped alleviate my concerns and kept me accountable. Her patience helped draw my college essay out of me – teaching me how to express myself. Her mentorship and guidance through all aspects of the application process allowed me to apply feeling confident.

When he got his acceptance letters and financial aid awards, he concluded that he wanted to go to Bentley, but the cost was a little restrictive. His parents wanted him to consider UMass Lowell because he would have had almost a $0 balance, but he was determined to make Bentley work.

“He applied to dozens of scholarships. Fortunately, that year Bottom Line was managing a scholarship through the Hayden Foundation, and we nominated him for a $4,000 scholarship which made Bentley possible for him to afford. He never lost sight of his goals, and his determination paid off,” said Place.

Rich continued working with Bottom Line throughout his college journey.

The mentorship and guidance I found from my advisors were integral. I knew that Bottom Line would always have my back. One of the supports that stuck out most was the open phone line that Bottom Line had. I could call the office, and talk to someone – anyone – and they were willing and ready to answer my questions.

Bottom Line also supported me as I applied for a scholarship to study abroad in Barcelona, a life-changing experience. I hadn’t traveled over the Atlantic ocean at that point, but the challenge I found as I learned about new cultures and people took me out of my comfort zone and taught me that I could push myself further than I had ever known.

While in college Bottom Line helped Rich work in five different internships – giving him valuable career experience that he could use to his benefit upon graduation. Rich worked in a few different roles right out of college, and his career path led him to attend grad school at Bentley. He now works for PAREXEL International as a Senior Analyst.

When I was younger, I thought I was going to be in the NFL or NBA. In the neighborhood I grew up in, you’re taught that athletics or rapping were the way to get out. Bottom Line smacked me in the face with reality. This may not be the career path I expected, but I am grateful for where I am today.

Rich continued to choose Bottom Line after he graduated, becoming a Go Far volunteer, a Board of Visitors member, and now a Regional Board member. 

I continue to choose Bottom Line to this day because I want to show students and future board members that the Bottom Line model works. Sometimes students don’t want to listen to their advisors, but I hope that sharing my story will motivate students to find the same success I have. Bottom Line has confidently gotten me to achieve what they told me I would. It’s not a lie. I want to share that story.

I choose Bottom Line because they make it happen. They practice what they preach – you can see it. They tell you they can help, and they do it, and they’re honest. They make things work with very little. It’s an organization that backs up what they say, and I’m thrilled to be a part of that.

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.