2024
Jobs Report
Together with our higher education and employer partners, we’re proving what’s possible when you empower the next generation of leaders with the skills, networks, experiences, and confidence necessary to launch a strong career.
AspireNJ
A decade of collective impact and a future of opportunity for the next generation of leaders.
What does this report cover?
In 2013, Braven started out as a pilot with 17 students, and by the end of June 2024, we’ll have served close to 10,000 Fellows at eight innovative colleges and universities nationwide and through BravenX.
A decade in, we’ve had the privilege of working with thousands of incredibly talented, diverse undergraduate students who continue to overcome challenges on their way to career and lifetime success. In this report, we highlight their stories as we dive into two questions that assess Braven’s impact:
Are our Fellows getting strong jobs that put them on the path to the American promise?
Atlanta Falcons
Why our work matters
Only about 30% of 1.4 million low-income or first-generation college students who enroll in college each year will graduate and secure a strong first job or enter graduate school.1
That’s more than one million students every single year who aren’t on the path to the American promise.
Graduate and secure a strong job or enter grad school
Are not on the path to the american promise
Thresholds (non-profit)
Mission
Together in collaboration with our higher education and employer partners, Braven empowers promising underrepresented college students with the skills, confidence, experiences, and networks necessary to transition from college to strong economic opportunities, which lead to meaningful careers and lives of impact.
Vision
The next generation of leaders will emerge from everywhere.
“Before becoming a Rutgers-Newark Braven Fellow, I struggled with imposter syndrome. My Braven experience taught me the importance of adopting a growth mindset and striving to learn more about myself and better understand my career goals and values.”
–Nicholas Rios
Rutgers University–Newark
The Braven Model
In collaboration with our partners, Braven empowers promising underrepresented college students on their paths to quality economic opportunities through a semester-long, cohort-based course, which was designed with significant input from our higher education partners and their faculty, and a post-course experience that lasts 6 months post college graduation.
In our core higher education model, students take the course for credit. Students who come through BravenX via college success organizations receive a financial stipend in lieu of credit.
Our partners
Celebrating 10 Years
with Innovative Higher Education Partners
It’s official!
Aimée Eubanks Davis started Braven — then called Beyond Z — with four pilot programs, three with K-12 students and one with college students.
4 pilot programs
60 college students
3 college campuses
Our first school partner
The initial college pilot was led by 3 female deans who led the partnership from San Jose State University’s (SJSU’s) end. In the fall of 2014 and spring of 2015, SJSU offered a second pilot on their campus for SJSU students alone, and 38 participated.
38 SJSU students participated in second pilot on campus
First time offering course credit
Braven and SJSU formalized our partnership and launched Braven’s Accelerator as a credit-bearing course for the first time. That same fall, Braven started working on the East Coast and launched at Rutgers University - Newark.
28 Rutgers-Newark college students participated in the Accelerator
Accelerator course at RU-N offered for credit
Braven and Rutgers University Newark (RU-N) formalized our partnership by making Braven’s Accelerator Course credit-bearing.
129 Braven Fellows complete first RU-N credit-bearing course
Joining the Chicago community
Braven secured our first college partnership in Chicago. National Louis University (NLU) began offering the Braven Accelerator for credit in January of 2018.
47 Braven Fellows complete first NLU credit-bearing course
The launch of BravenX
In response to growing demand from college success organizations, we launched the BravenX pilot.
100+ Braven Fellows participated in BravenX
Setting up shop in the Big Apple
Braven launched our fourth site at Lehman College (part of the City University of New York system) in January 2020.
110 Fellows complete first Lehman College course
Chicago State Partnership via BravenX Launches
In Fall 2021, Braven kicked off its partnership with Chicago State University via BravenX, serving 29 Fellows.
Many firsts at two new sites
Braven launched our fifth site in Atlanta at Spelman College, our first HBCU. That same year Braven partnered with Northern Illinois University (NIU) to offer our first intentionally fully virtual course.
827 Fellows complete Spelman course during the first year
159 Fellows complete NIU virtual course
Growing within the CUNY System
City College of New York (CCNY) and Braven build a formal partnership.
275 Fellows complete first City College of New York course
10,000 Fellows served by end of June 2024
Joining the Delaware community
Braven launched its eighth site at Delaware State University (DSU) in January 2024, our second partnership with an HBCU (and first with a public HBCU).
Are our Fellows getting quality economic opportunities that put them on the path to the American promise?
A College Degree
Still the Surest Path to Economic Mobility
Lifelong Financial Benefits for College Graduates
The difference in financial trajectory between college and high school graduates is clear.2 The average income of a college graduate is $73,300 compared to $44,300 of a high school graduate. By their 30s, people who went to college, whether at public or private schools, have earned back what they spent on education, and their cumulative earnings have started to surpass those of high school graduates
College Graduates Earn Almost Twice the Median Income of High School Graduates
College Graduates’ Cumulative Earnings Surpass High School Graduates
Unemployment rate for recent college graduates as of September 2023
Unemployment rate for young workers without a bachelor’s degree as of September 2023
Better Employment Outcomes for Recent College Graduates
Recent college graduates have lower unemployment rates than their peers without a degree. This has been true for every month since 1990, including over six recessions.4 This significant and persistent difference highlights the protective effect of a college degree on a young person’s ability to secure employment in competitive job markets.
College Graduates’ Cumulative Earnings Surpass High School Graduates5
More Jobs Will Require at Least a Bachelor’s Degree by 20316
Bachelor’s degrees and the foundational skills they teach are predicted to have even greater value in the future. Between 2021 and 2031, there will be 7.2 million annual job openings requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to just 5.6 million annual job openings for workers with a high school diploma or less.
OF JOBS WILL GO TO
WORKERS WITH AT LEAST
A BACHELOR’S DEGREE
OF JOBS WILL GO TO
WORKERS WITH A
HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA OR LESS
Industries with the Highest Number of Annualized Job Openings Requiring a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher Through 20317
3 Breakeven age of graduates paying the net price of college and averaging 4 years of study at public or private schools
4 Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York. “The Labor Market for Recent College Graduates.” Accessed 11/21/23 from https://www.newyorkfed.org/research/college-labor-market#--:overview.
5 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2022. Calculations by Jennifer Ma and Matea Pender. Note: The data represents the earnings distribution of full-time, year-round workers aged 35 to 44 by education level in 2021. Percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding. This chart illustrates that median earnings generally increasewith higher educational attainment, though variations exist within each level of education.
6 Source: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce forecast using data from the US Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS); US CensusBureau, American Community Survey (ACS); US Bureau of Labor Statistics; IHS Markit; Lightcast; and US Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS), 1983.Note: Before 1992, the education variable in the Current Population Survey was identified as years of schooling. We are therefore unable to differentiate between “some college or certificate”and “associate’s degree” in those years.
7 Source: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce forecast using data from the US Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS); US CensusBureau, American Community Survey (ACS); US Bureau of Labor Statistics; IHS Markit; and Lightcast. Note: The job openings metric counts new jobs and jobs created when workers move from oneoccupational category to another. It does not count when workers move from job to job within an occupational category.
Fellows Attain Quality Opportunities After College
In 2023, 777 Braven Fellows from partner schools earned a bachelor’s degree.8
This new class is outpacing their peers nationally in quality opportunity attainment by 17 percentage points (60% vs 43%) within six months of graduation.
6 months after graduation
(San Francisco, CA)
Braven class of 2023 demographics
People of color
24% black, 25% AAPI, 36% LATINX/A/O
Students from low–income backgrounds
First–Generation college students
9 National benchmark estimates are based on data from NACE’s 2022 First Destination Survey (publicly availableand custom cut data) and underemployment researchfrom the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
10 Includes students who identify as any non-White race or ethnicity and/or as a person of color.
The Strength of Roles that Our 2023 Graduates Secured
In 2023, 777 Braven Fellows graduated from our partner schools. 89% are employed or enrolled in graduate school, and 83% secured quality or pathway roles or enrolled in graduate school.
2023 Braven Graduates
2022 Peer Graduates of Four-Year Public Colleges and Universities11
Disaster Interfaith Services
(Pathway role)
How we define quality economic opportunities
Quality role:
a full-time role that requires a bachelor’s degree and includes some combination of promotion pathways, employee benefits, and a market-competitive starting salary, or enrollment in graduate school
Pathway role:
a role that does not require a bachelor’s degree but helps students’ financial sustainability, is aligned with career interests, and will likely lead to more career-accelerating possibilities through skill development
Non-quality role:
a role that does not require a bachelor’s degree, offers limited runway to additional career accelerating opportunities, and is not aligned with students’ career interests
Our Fellows are on a Thriving Path in Today’s Economy
When students’ access to information capital and networks is strengthened and they have the opportunity to practice professional skills, the American promise is attainable within semesters.
76% of our graduates nationally are already out earning their parents at the same age in their first job out of college.12 By comparison, by age 30, Americans have a 50-50 shot of outearning their parents.13
13 Source: Chetty, Raj et al. The Fading American Dream: Trends in Absolute Income Mobility Since 1940. Science, December 2016.
Graduate Student Pursuing
Master of Social Work
(San Francisco, CA)
Most popular industries for Fellows
Building Career Wealth & Health
A high quality first job helps individuals build long-term wealth and health. Braven defines a strong first job as one that requires a bachelor’s degree and is full-time, as well as includes some combination of promotion pathways, employee benefits, and a market-competitive starting salary.
This year, Braven is changing our salary benchmark to the American Community Survey, the leading source of information on America’s population updated annually by the U.S. Census. We are using the survey’s most recently released data set for recent college graduates who were employed in 2022, creating comparisons with both college graduates who worked in any capacity and college graduates who worked full-time. After just six months post-graduation, the graduates of Braven and our partner schools are earning above the national average salary of all early career college graduates.
+12.6k
$55,174
Mean salary of employed FY23 Braven graduates in the first 6 months after college graduation14
Compared to a national average of $42,569 of recent college graduates aged 23-24 who were employed in 2022.15
+7.5k
$57,667
Mean salary of full-time employed FY23 Braven graduates in the first 6 months after college graduation
Compared to a national average of $50,122 of recent college graduates aged 23-24 who worked full-time in 2022.16
OF RECENT BRAVEN GRADUATES ARE IN ROLES ALIGNED WITH THEIR LONG-TERM CAREER INTERESTS17
OF RECENT BRAVEN GRADUATES HAVE A JOB WITH EMPLOYER PROVIDED BENEFITS17
15 2022 American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau. Data filtered by age (AGEP 23-24), income (PINCP >$1), hours worked(WKHP >0), employment status (ESR Civilian employed, at work), and educational attainment (SCHL Bachelor’s degree). Adjusted for inflation to 2023 dollars using the 2022-2023 BLS ECI and ADJINC factor required by data.census.gov/mdat.
16 2022 American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau. Data filtered by age (AGEP 23-24), income (PINCP >$1), hours worked(WKHP >35), employment status (ESR Civilian employed, at work), and educational attainment (SCHL Bachelor’s degree). Adjusted for inflation to 2023 dollars using the 2022-2023 BLS ECI and ADJINC factor required by data.census.gov/mdat.
17 Inclusive of Braven graduates 2020-2023.
Thresholds (non-profit)
The Braven Equation in action
With Lehman College and Braven’s support, and the help of Deloitte’s commitment to recruiting diverse candidates, Edil Abreu got the career foundations that enabled him to bring his strong academic experience to life and get on a path to the American promise.
Networks
Paired with Leadership Coach Monica Chan, Assistant Professor at Pratt Institute, who provided him with 60+ hours of mentorship
Skills
The Braven experience equipped Edil with 5 key career competencies:
Self-driven leadership
Working in teams
Problem solving
Networking and communicating
Operating and managing
Experiences
Following completion of the Braven course, Edil successfully secured multiple high-quality internships at two Big Four accounting firms in New York City.
Confidence
"Being a Lehman Braven Fellow played a crucial role in preparing me for a successful internship by offering incredible Learning Labs during which we covered essential topics like networking, LinkedIn, resume modules, and more."
Analyst, Deloitte
Are we supporting Fellows to secure internships?
Disparities in Access and Completion of Internships
In an extensive literature review of 13 career readiness interventions, the Harvard Project on Workforce found that internships were the most effective intervention in terms of research-based evidence and implementation.18 But across socioeconomic lines of difference, there are inequities in internship attainment and paid internship attainment.
Whether an internship is paid and how much it is paid are important factors because paid internships lead to more full-time job offers and higher starting pay. In a recent national survey by Gallup, 20% of students said they could not afford to have an internship because they needed to work for pay or make more money in a better-paying job.19
National Data Show First-Generation Students are Less Likely to Participate in Internships20
Pell Grant Recipients and First-Generation Students are Less Likely to Participate in Paid Internships21
19 Source: Gallup: Four in 10 College Students Have Had Internship Experience by Stephanie Marken and Drew Curtis. August 16, 2023.
20 Source: Strada Viewpoint: From College to Career: Students’ Internship Expectations and Experiences. May 2023.
21 Source: National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) 2023 Student Survey
Encouraging Levels of Internship Attainment for Our Fellows
For college students, internships serve as critical proof points of experience that open professional doors.
Compared with graduates nationally, Braven 2023 graduates from our partner schools were 23 percentage points more likely to have at least one internship during their college experience.
Likelihood of at least one internship during college
23 Source: Strada Viewpoint: From College to Career: Students’ Internship Expectations and Experiences. May 2023.
Research Experience for Undergraduates
In partnership, are we supporting Fellows on the path to college completion?
Undergraduate Enrollment
Starting to Recover
Undergraduate Enrollment by Institution Type and Year
HBCU Enrollment Rises
Increase in undergraduate enrollment
at Historically Black Colleges
and Universities (HBCUs)
between 2020 and 2023
Increase in Associate Degree Demand
Increase in students pursuing associate
degrees, which is a critical pipeline for
4-year colleges and universities,
in Fall 2023 compared to Fall 2022
Encouraging Levels of Persistence & Graduation
Our Fellows have achieved a 91% six-year on-time graduation rate.26
Nationally, only about 7 in 10 of Braven Fellows’ peers graduate college on time.
Fellows, who typically join us during their sophomore or junior year, are persisting and graduating at encouraging rates.25
26 Six-year graduation data of Braven Fellows who enrolled as first-time freshmen at San José State University, Rutgers University-Newark, and Lehman College,not including those who took Braven as seniors
“I am profoundly grateful for the transformative experience I gained through Braven at Rutgers-Newark. The lessons learned in mock interviews, career planning sessions, and resume building workshops have instilled in me the skills and confidence to step into the real world with a clear vision and purpose. I am excited to leverage these newfound strengths and embark on a fulfilling career journey.”
–Leah Gomez
AspireNJ
We Couldn’t Do It Without You!
Higher Education & Employer Partners
Higher Education Partners
City College of New York – CUNY
Delaware State University
Lehman College – CUNY
National Louis University
Northern Illinois University
Rutgers University - Newark
San José State University
Spelman College
Chicago State University (BravenX)
BravenX Partners
Achieve Atlanta
Ascend Public Schools
Charter School Growth Fund
Chicago Scholars
City Year
Coney Island Prep
Cooperman College Scholars
Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas
DSST Public Schools
Evanston Scholars
Excel Academy Charter Schools
Excellence Community Schools
Freedom Preparatory Academy
Harmony Public Schools
KIPP Forward
KIPP Foundation
KIPP NJ - Newark
LISA Academy
Making Waves Education Foundation
National Association for Urban Debate Leagues
Newark Youth Career Pathways Program
NJ Seeds
Noble Schools
One Million Degrees
Rivet School
The Academy Charter School
The Wight Foundation
Uncommon Schools
Uplift Education
UtmostU
Wallin Education Partners
Employer Partners
Lead
($250k+ and programmatic support)
Allstate
Apollo Opportunity Foundation
Barclays
Capital One
Credit Suisse
Deloitte
Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women
LinkedIn
Morgan Stanley
NBA Foundation
Prudential Financial
Salesforce
Anchor
($100k+ and programmatic support)
Adobe
Anonymous
Clayton, Dubilier & Rice
Cognizant US Foundation
JPMorgan Chase
Northern Trust
ServiceNow
UBS
Keystone
($25k+ and programmatic support)
Atlassian
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Blackbaud
Brooks Brothers & The Golden Fleece Foundation
Cerberus Capital Management
CIBC Bank USA
CME Group Foundation
M&T Bank
Old National Bank
Panasonic
PwC
Stanley Black & Decker
Taco Bell Foundation
United Airlines
Wells Fargo
Western Digital
Innovation
(($10k+ and programmatic support)
Charles Schwab Bank
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey
IPG Health
MEMX
Neuberger Berman
Pathward
PEAK6
PierceGray
Okta
Rakuten International
WSFS Bank
Impact
($5k+ and/or programmatic support)
1huddle
Amazon
Atlanta Hawks
Audible
Bain and Company
Chicago Bulls
Choose New Jersey
Cisco
Cramer-Krasselt
Davis Polk
Eagle Capital Management
GLG
Google
Hall Capital Partners
Kindle Communications
Kirkland & Ellis
Marc Jacobs
McKinsey & Company
McMaster Carr
Medline
Metro Atlanta Chamber
Montefiore Medical Center
Morningstar
Newark Venture Partners
Progressive Pipeline
SaverLife
True Search
Visa
Wipfli
Workday
YES Network
Young Community Developers
Supporters ($10k+)
A Better Chicago Fund, a Fund of the Robert R. McCormick Foundation
Abrams Foundation
Anonymous x11
Arbor Rising
Arrow Impact
Arthur & Toni Rembe Rock
Association for a Better New York (ABNY)
Barberry Foundation
Betty and Davis Fitzgerald Foundation
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Carnegie Corporation of New York
Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation
Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation
Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies
Charles Ashby Lewis & Penny Bender Sebring
Charter School Growth Fund
Cleveland Avenue Foundation for Education
College Futures Foundation
Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta
Crankstart Foundation
Crown Family Philanthropies
Cynthia A. Niekamp Foundation
David Cohen & Kristen Argo
Deloitte Foundation
ECMC Foundation
Erol Foundation
Finnegan Family Foundation
Franklin and Catherine Johnson Foundation
Grace & Steve Voorhis
Gray Foundation
Greenbridge Family Foundation
Heartland Forward
Howard P. Colhoun Family Foundation
James and Kaye Slavet
James Ely
Jeffrey H. and Shari L. Aronson Family Foundation
John & Wendy Cozzi
John and Kathleen Schreiber Foundation
Kelly & Thom Mannard
Ken and Vicky Lang
Ken Ohashi
Leslie Family Foundation
Linda & Brian Sterling
Lindmor Fund
Lisa & Joseph Amato
Longwood Foundation
M&T Weiner Foundation
Mansueto Foundation
Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation
Michael and Susan Dell Foundation
Michelle Boyers
MR Macgill
Mr. & Mrs. Richard Witmer, Jr.
New Profit, Inc.
Osa Foundation
Paul M. Angell Family Foundation
Peery Foundation
Prosper Road Foundation
René Kern Family Foundation
Richard & Susan Braddock
Robert Mize and Isa White Trimble Family Foundation
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Ron & Kathy Sonenthal
Sandy & Jim Reynolds
Sarah Peter
Schultz Family Foundation
Shellye Archambeau
Siegel Family Endowment
Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund (SV2)
Siragusa Family Foundation
Sobrato Family Foundation
Square One Foundation
Strada Foundation
Stupski Foundation
Susan & Thomas Dunn
Tammy & Bill Crown
The 1954 Project
The Carson Family Charitable Trust
The Ichigo Foundation
The John P. and Anne Welsh McNulty Foundation
The Mayer and Morris Kaplan Family Foundation
The McCance Foundation
The MCJ Amelior Foundation
The Molly Blank Fund
The Neuberger Berman Foundation
Tipping Point Community
Tull Foundation
Valhalla Foundation
Victoria Foundation
Vivo Foundation
Walton Family Foundation
William and Charlene Glikbarg Foundation
Yield Giving
BravenX Addendum
BravenX: Innovation Programming to Reach More Students
Part of our innovation programming, BravenX is a 14-week virtual fellowship experience that equips participants with the skills, confidence, networks, and experiences necessary to launch a strong career.
This program is fully virtual and identical in length, content, and cohort structure as our university-for-credit model. However, it is made possible through partnerships with college access and success organizations instead of higher education partners through which Braven helps ensure that their alumni build the foundation for a lifelong career path. BravenX Fellows earn a financial stipend upon completion of the program in lieu of academic credit. In some cases, BravenX is added as a scholarship requirement.
To date, we’ve served 1,000+ Fellows through BravenX.
In 2023, 174 BravenX Fellows graduated from colleges and universities nationwide. 52% of graduates secured a quality role, and 78% were employed or enrolled in graduate school.
2023 BravenX Graduates
2022 Peer Graduates of Four-Year Public Colleges and Universities11
