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To career.
To thrive.

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Our Mission

The Opportunity Network ignites the drive, curiosity, and agency of underrepresented students on their paths to and through college and into thriving careers, powered by our commitment to access and community.

Our Work and
the College and Career Opportunity Landscape

The data is clear: An opportunity gap for students from under-resourced communities is plaguing our education and career development systems, siphoning off the success and professional promise of too many young people.

A four-year college degree continues to be one of the most powerful tools a young person can have to unlock a life of choice, opportunity, and long-term success.
 
However, for many students from under-resourced communities, that path is filled with barriers — not due to a lack of talent or ambition, but limited access and opportunity.

Only 44% of students from the lowest-income families enroll in college, compared to 79% from the highest-income families.

 

The Pell Institute | Indicators of Higher Education Equity in the United States 2024: 50-Year Historical Trend Report

For those who do enroll, just 21% of first-generation college students from low-income backgrounds earn a bachelor’s degree within six years — a stark contrast to 66% among their more resourced peers.

 

And it doesn’t stop there.

 

The Pell Institute | Indicators of Higher Education Equity in the United States 2024: 50-Year Historical Trend Report

Internships are key to building a strong college and career journey. They help students gain experience, expand networks, and boost their chances of landing full-time jobs after graduation. Paid interns get 1.6 job offers on average, compared to 0.9 for unpaid interns and 0.8 for those with no internship experience.

 

Yet, up to 50% of internships are unpaid, making them inaccessible to many students from under-resourced communities.

 

Strada Education Foundation | National Survey of College Internships 2023 Report

63% of college students without internship experience said they wanted one but couldn’t afford to take unpaid roles or didn’t know how to find one.

 

Strada Education Foundation | National Survey of College Internships 2023 Report

For those who do earn their bachelor’s degree, the challenges continue. More than half of recent grads are unemployed or underemployed after one year, working in jobs that don’t require a college degree and earning about $30,000 less per year than they could be.

 

Strada & Burning Glass Institute | Talent Disrupted: College Graduates, Underemployment, and the Way Forward

Meanwhile, employers are struggling, too: 75% of companies report difficulty hiring full-time employees, and nearly 50% say they’re having trouble retaining talent.

 

SHRM | 2024 Talent Trends

At OppNet, we see a future where every young person has a clear path to opportunity, purpose, and career success. And we’re building it together.

No single solution is enough to drive college and career success and democratize access for all students to create a life where their ambition, talent, and passion can match endlessly with opportunity and choice.


This is exactly why our six-year, multi-dimensional Fellows program for students from under-resourced communities across New York City integrates individualized support for students to and through college — from college tours to financial aid guidance to selecting a major to tracking graduation requirements — with five summers of paid, resume-building internships and enrichment experiences. All of this runs alongside robust opportunities to engage with a variety of industry professionals that lead to an early network of support for career growth. This is also why 98% of OppNet Fellows graduate from college, 93% of whom will be the first in their family to do so, and 91% secure jobs that align with their career interests or admission into graduate school within six months of college graduation.

Anchored in our Career Fluency® model, which outlines the essential skills and mindsets required for college and career readiness, OppNet’s Career Fluency Partnerships program offers critical capacity-building opportunities for schools and organizations nationwide. This program empowers these institutions to enhance their students’ postsecondary outcomes. Driving a national shift towards college and career success, the Partnerships program reaches 100,000 students across 20 cities, particularly those from under-resourced communities.

This is OppNet.

And this is the work we do to expand the promise of college, career, and postsecondary opportunity for all students.

What OppNet Fellows & Alumni Are Saying

“OppNet showed me the world of liberal arts colleges I hadn’t even known existed. We visited six different colleges in three days. OppNet showed us we are competitive for spots at these schools and finances don’t have to be a deciding factor. I was accepted to Lafayette, Brandeis, Union, and Hamilton.”

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Ashley St. John, OppNet Class of 2016

OppNet and Lafayette College Alum | PhD Student at Boston University

Fellows Program

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Career Fluency® Partnerships Program

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Opportunity Ignited Program

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The Opportunity Network is a 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. EIN: 43-1984494

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