Diversifying Higher Education – A Post Affirmative Action Path Forward

Career Pathways

Our 6-Year Program and Thrive Academies offer two years of comprehensive career development support and one-on-one career coaching.

But it’s never one-size-fits-all.

We drive our proven program through industry pathways that target key experiences to deliver the impressive results our students want.

The Core Pathway is made possible by our Lead Core Pathway sponsor:

To see other Core partners, click here.

THRIVE SCHOLARS CORE PATHWAY

Refined over 20 years, our program is proven to work. Our program participants get into Top Colleges, earn better grades, and graduate to find success at leading companies.

Tailored to Their Needs

Our high-touch career pathways program model is tailored to the specific needs and ambitions of each student.

  • OVER

    90%

  • attend Top 100 Colleges

  • OVER

    40%

  • attend Ivy League+ Colleges

Building Extraordinary Futures

By investing early in high-achieving students of color before college, our program ensures a robust future talent pipeline of exceptional Black, Latino, and other underrepresented students – who graduate ready to excel in careers in engineering, law, banking, medicine, consulting, academia, media, and more.

Our corporate partners identify rising talent and make connections that give them a competitive edge when hiring. And our Scholars launch extraordinary careers.

We Provide Tailored Support

  • College-level instruction by professors from top colleges at Summer Academy that prepares students for the academic rigors of college curriculum
  • Personalized college admissions counseling to find the “right fit” schools that support their area of academic interest
  • Personalized career development and 1-on-1 coaching
  • Access to internship and full-time career opportunities across sectors with Thrive Scholars’ corporate partners

Franz

Carnegie Mellon University, Class of 2014

I am proud to say that I am a product and direct beneficiary of Thrive Scholars. Without their financial support and mentorship, I would not have had access to the opportunities I have been provided. Today, I’m pursuing my Master of Science in Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University on a full ride scholarship, and look forward to the day when I can give back to an organization that has invested so much in me.

Our students attend top colleges
The most commonly attended colleges of our latest class:

And at leading companies 

Ready for an Extraordinary Future?

Join us and launch your career today.

Apply

Corporate Supporters

Thanks to all who invest in diverse talent.

Learn More

Explore Other Pathways

The Tech & Engineering Pathway is made possible by our Lead Tech & Engineering

Pathway sponsors:

To see other STEM partners, click here.

THRIVE SCHOLARS TECH & ENGINEERING PATHWAY

Students of color from economically disadvantaged communities encounter many barriers that impact post-college career success in the Tech & Engineering field. To successfully access Tech & Engineering careers, students need to learn how to successfully navigate a technical interview, secure a competitive internship early, and understand and demonstrate the most sought-after skills within their chosen industry.

Software Developers

  • 6%

    Black

  • 6%

    Latino

Computer Programmers

  • 7%

    Black

  • 8%

    Latino

Architects & Engineers

  • 5%

    Black

  • 9%

    Latino

Our Solution

Thrive’s Tech & Engineering Pathway supports high-achieving students of color who want to pursue careers in software/hardware development, engineering, and related technical and non-technical roles across the broader tech industry.

Tech and Engineering Scholars have the opportunity to

  • Explore career options across Tech & Engineering fields
  • Apply learnings to experiential opportunities like capstones, project-based internships, industry visits, coding challenges, design sprints, etc.
  • Connect with professionals in Tech and/or Engineering careers
  • Learn about and apply to career-advancing internships, virtual externships, and other industry work experiences, and mock coding interviews

Luis

Stanford, Master’s in Computer Science, Class of 2022 | Software Engineer, Google

I learned how to code during the 2017 USC Summer Academy with Thrive Scholars, and it was an amazing experience. It was inspiring to be around so many hardworking and talented peers from similar diverse backgrounds and their engagement in the material was contagious. It re-assured any doubts I had about my own abilities to succeed in tech and encouraged me to learn autonomously with respect to my own interests.

Our students thrive at top colleges for Science, Tech, Engineering, and Mathematics

And have worked as employees at innovative companies

Interested in a Career in Tech & Engineering?

Consider our Tech & Engineering Pathway when you apply.

Apply

Corporate Supporters

Thanks to our Tech & Engineering and other corporate supporters.

Learn More

Explore Other Pathways

The Life Sciences Pathway is made possible by our Lead Life Sciences Pathway sponsors:

To see other STEM partners, click here.

THRIVE SCHOLARS LIFE SCIENCES PATHWAY

Students of color from economically disadvantaged communities encounter many barriers that impact post-college career success in the Life Sciences. To maximize their career potential in the Life Sciences, not only do our students need to persist and graduate from rigorous STEM majors, but they also need to learn about the diversity of Life Sciences career paths early on, gain research experience, and connect with professionals in the field. 

Biotech Management

  • 3%

    Black

  • 4%

    Latino

Doctors

  • 5%

    Black

  • 6%

    Latino

Scientific Research

  • 6%

    Black

  • 9%

    Latino

Our Solution

Thrive’s Life Sciences Pathway supports high-achieving students of color from under-resourced communities who want to pursue careers in Life Sciences.

Life Sciences Scholars have the opportunity to

  • Explore diverse career options across Life Sciences fields
  • Apply learnings to career through capstone projects, employer challenges, and industry visits
  • Learn about recruitment readiness and gain relevant internships and other experiential learning opportunities across various Life Sciences industries
  • Support for Health Professional School and Grad School for STEM

Martin

Stanford class of 2020 | Yale School of Medicine, OBGYN Biobank Postgraduate Associate

I participated in Summer Academy and took a chemistry course taught by a UCLA professor. The exposure to college-level chemistry as a high schooler allowed me to note before starting college-level courses at Stanford the rigor that comes with pursuing Life Sciences in higher education. My interest in continuing research that can directly impact human health led me to intern at Genentech, a biotech/pharma company, where I made the workflow for engineering mouse models more efficient.

Our students thrive at the top colleges for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

They excel at the nation’s top medical schools

And have worked as employees at these innovative companies

Interested in a Career in Life Sciences?

Consider our Life Sciences Pathway when you apply.

Apply

Corporate Supporters

Thanks to our Life Sciences and other corporate supporters.

Learn More

The Finance Pathway is made possible by our Lead Finance Pathway sponsors:

To see other Finance partners, click here.

THRIVE SCHOLARS FINANCE PATHWAY

The Finance industry has historically lacked both racial and gender diversity

For our first-generation students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, there are barriers that impact post-college career success in Finance. Students need to learn about career options and build industry knowledge and technical skills by their first year of college to recruit for early internships at big investment and financial service firms.

Lack of Diversity in Finance

Our Solution

Thrive Scholars’ Finance Career Pathway prepares high-achieving students of color to launch their Finance careers.

Early Support Matters

By investing early, Thrive’s partner firms are able to identify rising talent and make personal connections that later give them a competitive edge in recruiting diverse top-tier employees. We work with our Finance partners to provide Finance Pathway students with our full range of support. As a result, our program participants are equipped to thrive in the Finance industry. Students who participate in Thrive’s Finance Pathway receive:

Tailored Finance Support

  • 1-on-1 Finance-focused career coaching
  • Mentorship and job opportunities with Thrive Scholars’ corporate partners
  • Finance technical skills training including:
    • Financial Modeling
    • Fundamentals of Applied Excel
    • Financial Statement Analysis & Corporate Valuation
    • Technical Interview Training

Patricia

CIB Credit Risk Analyst, J.P. Morgan

Thrive Scholars helped me connect with mentors and career prep organizations focused on finance in pursuing a career in risk management. Working at a top bank over the summer made me realize the importance of having top diverse talent in this workforce. For this reason, my aspiration is to one day have a senior leadership role to help guide others on their paths to success.

Our students have worked as employees at top financial companies

Interested in a career in Finance?

Consider our Finance Pathway when you apply.

Apply

Corporate Supporters

Thanks to our Finance and other corporate supporters.

Learn More

Explore Other Pathways

The Consulting Pathway is made possible by our Lead Consulting Pathway sponsors:

To see other Consulting partners, click here.

THRIVE SCHOLARS CONSULTING PATHWAY

The Consulting industry has historically lacked racial diversity

For our first-generation students, there are barriers that impact post-college career success in Consulting. Consulting requires competitive internships early in college – often before our students are even aware of these career possibilities. Students need to build industry knowledge and develop technical skills to perform competitively on the case interview by their first year of college to compete for highly coveted internships at top firms.

Lack of Diversity in Consulting

Our Solution

Thrive Scholars’ Consulting Pathway supports high-achieving students of color who want to build the competencies and skills required to launch and sustain successful careers in Consulting and Professional Services.

Building Extraordinary Futures in Consulting

By investing early, partner firms are able to identify rising talent and make personal connections that later give them a competitive edge in recruiting diverse top-tier employees.

Tailored Consulting Support

Targeted coaching and curriculum designed to give students the knowledge and skills required to launch careers at top Consulting firms. Supports include:

  • 1-on-1 Career Coaching
  • Case Interview preparation includes:
    • Market Size Estimation
    • Sales, Marketing, Strategy, and Operation Cases
  • Excel and Data Analytics Training
  • Presentation Skills
  • Mentorship and recruiting opportunities with Thrive Scholars’ corporate partners

Ericardo

Business Analyst, Deloitte Consulting LLP

The Thrive Scholars community is the social capital that affords tremendous gains for high-achieving, low income students of color in academic, extracurricular, and pre-professional spheres. Thrive Scholars connected me with an employee of my current firm for a mock case interview early in my recruiting process. With this support, I joined a firm that enabled me to help organizations effect positive change on the general public, all while working alongside business colleagues.

Our students have worked as employees at top consulting companies

Interested in a career in Consulting?

Consider our Consulting Pathway when you apply.

Apply

Corporate Supporters

Thanks to our Consulting and other corporate supporters.

Learn More

Explore Other Pathways

The Law Pathway is made possible by our Lead Law Pathway sponsors:

To see other Law partners, click here.

THRIVE SCHOLARS LAW PATHWAY

To bring much-needed diversity to the legal profession, Thrive Scholars is partnering with many of the country’s leading law firms to create a Thrive Scholars Law Pathway.

Today, only 2% of partners at top law firms are Black. And only 3% are Latino.

The Problem Starts in Our Top Law Schools

Diversity at U.S Law Schools

  • 8%

  • Black

  • 13%

  • Latino

The numbers get worse at top law schools. Fewer than 400 Black and 500 Latino students graduate from Top 15 Law Schools each year. That’s less than half of what we’d expect to reflect our country’s diversity.

Our Solution

We invest early in high-achieving students of color with an interest in a career in law. By preparing them before college and offering tailored career guidance, we ensure they graduate college with the grades needed to get into top law schools.

Along the way, we connect students to lawyers who serve as professional mentors, fueling interest in the law and growing their professional network.

Our program ensures more diversity at the nation’s top law schools. And that means, a more robust talent pipeline of exceptional Black and Latino future employees ready to excel at leading law firms.

Early Support Matters

We work with our law firm partners to provide Law Pathway students with our full range of support, tailored specifically for law. As a result, our students don’t just get hired at law firms — they thrive, advancing successfully as attorneys.

By investing early, partner firms are able to identify rising talent and make personal connections with future top-tier diverse employees.

Tailored Support For A Law Career

  • Mentorship and potential internships at law firms
  • Legal career training
  • LSAT prep
  • Law school admissions guidance
  • Support during law school
  • Getting hired at a law firm

Antonio Ingram, Esq.

Assistant Counsel at NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund | Yale University, Class of 2011, University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, Class of 2014

The Thrive Community is a rare space where diverse individuals can find a supportive community to pursue opportunities usually reserved for the social and economic elites. My legal career has taken me to international law firms, African governments, and the heights of the federal judiciary. Though the legal profession can be daunting, it is also a sphere where you can impact individuals and systems in a uniquely powerful way.

Our students thrive at top law schools

 

Interested in a Career in Law?

Consider our Law Pathway when you apply.

Apply

Corporate Supporters

Thanks to our Law and other corporate partners.

Learn More

Explore Other Pathways