Announcements, In the News

Thrive Scholars Joins Forces with Houlihan Lokey to Support and Mentor High-Achieving Students of Color

October 27, 2021
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Published by Thrive Scholars

Thrive Scholars (Thrive), an organization that provides high-achieving students of color from low-income communities with the opportunities they need to thrive at top colleges and achieve their full career potential, has partnered with Houlihan Lokey, a global investment bank. This partnership will provide the opportunities these students need to gain access to and thrive in finance industry careers via a new Houlihan Lokey Thrive Scholars program.

The Houlihan Lokey Thrive Scholars program will help Thrive support five high school students in New York and five students in Los Angeles each year, known as Houlihan Lokey Thrive Scholars, as they progress to college and enter the workforce. The Houlihan Lokey Thrive Scholars will be matched with Houlihan Lokey mentors once they enter college and will have the opportunity to join Thrive’s Finance Track during their sophomore year of college. Part of Houlihan Lokey’s grant will support Thrive’s development of the Finance Track, to be launched later this year, and the firm’s employees will participate in training Scholars who enter this program. The Finance Track is a three-year program within Thrive Scholars’ six-year support model that is focused on helping Scholars develop the hard and soft skills they need to succeed in finance careers.

“We set out to identify and partner with an organization with an established track record of success in making a positive impact, and with whom we could have a meaningful relationship – one which incorporates developing and preparing individuals for successful careers in financial services at Houlihan Lokey and elsewhere,” said David Preiser, Co-President of Houlihan Lokey.  “In this respect, Thrive is a perfect partner, and we look forward to many years of collaboration and success as we make good on our commitment to Education and Opportunity.”

Thrive Scholars’ goal is to see talented students of color from low-income communities develop the inter-generational wealth and financial security their more privileged peers take for granted, and become the diverse corporate, civic and academic leaders our country needs. Through an integrated, multi-stage program, Thrive Scholars provides students the support they need to get into a top college, achieve college success (with programs like their signature Summer Academy), graduate from college, and then pursue fulfilling jobs and careers. Thrive’s program impact is significant – more than 90% of Scholars attend a Top 100 College, over 40% go to Ivy League schools, and 98% of them graduate from college with better grades than all students – not just other students of color. 

Steve Stein, CEO of Thrive Scholars, shares “We are extraordinarily proud of our Scholars’ success, and our partnership with Houlihan Lokey will broaden and further contribute to Thrive’s impact. The partnership will help our Scholars overcome barriers to entry in the finance sector, preparing them for the requirements of a high-impact career so they can become the diverse leaders the industry needs. We’re delighted to be working with Houlihan Lokey on this new program.”thrive cube


About Houlihan Lokey

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) is a global investment bank with expertise in mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, financial restructuring, and valuation. The firm serves corporations, institutions, and governments worldwide with offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific region. Independent advice and intellectual rigor are hallmarks of the firm’s commitment to client success across its advisory services. Houlihan Lokey is the No. 1 M&A advisor for the past six consecutive years in the U.S., the No. 1 global restructuring advisor for the past seven consecutive years, and the No. 1 global M&A fairness opinion advisor over the past 20 years, all based on number of transactions and according to data provided by Refinitiv.