Philadelphia, PA - The Collective Success Network is a new volunteer-led nonprofit that provides support and resources to low-income, first-generation college students in the Greater Philadelphia Metropolitan Region. The mission of the Collective Success Network is to ensure that more first-generation college students achieve their academic, personal and professional goals.
"Right now, only 10 percent of Philadelphia high school students earn a college degree while 24 percent enroll in college. That means six out of 10 students who start college drop out with no degree and overwhelming debt," said founding Chair and Executive Director of the Collective Success Network, Due Quach. "From my own experience of growing up in inner-city Philadelphia and attending Harvard, I was not prepared for the massive culture shock that I know other low-income first-generation students are currently struggling with."
The Network has started an innovative Group Mentorship Program pilot which will connect 66 students with professional mentors, who will provide insights on how to navigate college and to build a professional career. More than 200 students from schools including Drexel University, Temple University, and the University of Pennsylvania have signed up to join the Collective Success Network. The organization is already working to bring Collective Success to more schools and more cities throughout the country.
The Collective Success Network is supported by individual donations and through corporate partners like RSM, PECO and Comcast, who provide staff to serve as mentors and will host mentorship sessions at their offices. Future programs planned by the Collective Success Network include career path guidance programming to help students in their job search, a learning events series focused on personal and professional development, a company visits program, and informal gatherings where students can practice and develop networking skills and build relationships with professionals.
"By being a part of Collective Success, I'm able to help bridge the gap between low-income first-generation students and most of our peers at Penn," said David Thai, a student at the University of Pennsylvania and co-chair of the Collective Success Network Penn Chapter. "And it connects us with professionals who understand our backgrounds and are dedicated to helping and supporting us."
The Collective Success Network is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that supports low-income, first-generation college students to achieve their academic and career aspirations. It operates under the fiscal sponsorship of the Urban Affairs Coalition in Philadelphia. An all-volunteer organization, its professional volunteers hail from across the United States and the intercollegiate programming is currently open to students from across the country who are attending college in the Greater Philadelphia Metropolitan Region. To learn more, please visit https://www.collectivesuccess.org.
