BRAVEN

Braven is a nonprofit organization addressing the education-to-employment gap for underrepresented college students. It was founded in 2013 by Aimée Eubanks Davis, who was inspired by her personal journey from Chicago's South Side and her professional experiences at Teach For America. There, she observed that talented graduates from low-income backgrounds often struggled to secure strong first jobs, a disparity she aimed to correct.

The organization operates on a multi-faceted model centered on partnerships with higher education institutions, employers, and volunteer professionals. Its primary clients are first-generation college students, students from low-income backgrounds, and students of color. Braven's core offering is the Leadership & Career Accelerator, a semester-long, for-credit course embedded within partner universities like San José State University, National Louis University, Rutgers University-Newark, and Spelman College. This course is designed to equip students, known as Fellows, with essential skills in areas like problem-solving, teamwork, networking, and communication. The curriculum combines online modules with in-person or virtual weekly workshops led by volunteer Leadership Coaches in small cohorts. For students not at a partner university, Braven offers BravenX, a virtual fellowship that provides the same curriculum and a stipend upon completion.

Braven's business model is funded through a combination of support from individuals, foundations, corporations, and its university partners. The organization collaborates with over 75 employer partners, such as Prudential, Google, and LinkedIn, which provides Fellows with access to internship and job opportunities and a professional network. These corporate partners also benefit by connecting with a diverse talent pipeline and offering professional development opportunities to their employees who volunteer as coaches and mentors. Post-course, Fellows receive continued support through graduation, including one-on-one mentoring and access to a job board. This comprehensive approach has demonstrated significant impact, with Braven Fellows showing higher rates of internship attainment and securing quality jobs at a higher rate than national averages for their peers.

Keywords: career readiness, college to career, first-generation students, underrepresented students, workforce development, professional skills, mentorship, leadership coaching, higher education partnerships, social capital, career accelerator, job placement, nonprofit education, skills gap, student success, internship placement, diverse talent pipeline, economic mobility, professional networking, career development