Thrive Scholars is a national education to career organization with deep roots in Boston that provides high-achieving students of color from economically under-resourced communities the opportunities they need to thrive at top colleges and in meaningful careers. Thrive envisions a world in which students of color from economically disadvantaged communities attend highly selective colleges and graduate with the same opportunities as their higher-income peers, where the STEM workforce and corporate board rooms are reflective of the diverse population of the United States, and where students of color from economically disadvantaged backgrounds feel empowered to make lasting positive change in their communities. We aspire to transform great potential into reality, helping talented, motivated, but under-resourced students thrive.
Over the past 20 years, Thrive has developed a 6-year, data-driven program focused on five key inflection points that close the opportunity gap between Scholars and their privileged peers. Thrive provides its Scholars with expert college advising by former college admissions officers, academic preparation prior to college through two summers of an intensive academic instructional program taught by college professors in a residential setting on the campuses of Amherst College and the University of Chicago, tailored social/emotional and academic support during college, financial support through financial aid counseling, stipends, and a free laptop to access the 21st century learning environment, and a four-year career development curriculum, including 2+ years of one-on-one career coaching in the industries chosen by Scholars.
Hestia previously granted Thrive Scholars $20,000 in 2017 when the organization was called Noonan Scholars. This is the first grant from Hestia under the new incarnation of the organization, and the $25,000 grant will provide general operating support.