Launch U
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Mission Statement
Launch U pairs high performing urban scholars with young professionals to provide college and career exploration and offer general guidance and support during their senior year of high school.
About This Cause
The challenge that currently exists today for Chicago students is while they can make it to college, that does not mean making it through successfully and achieving their long-term goals. This is particularly true for low-income, first-generation students. Nationally, only 11% of low-income, minority students who attend college will graduate. Even high performing first-generation students are only completing college at a rate of around 35% or less. Additionally, once these students graduate from college, they are often unable to find employment in their chosen field because they do not have a supportive network that includes connections to jobs/employers (that many of their high-income peers do). (Data provided by Launch U’s partner schools) Even if they are high achieving in high school, students from low-income families typically receive less support from their community and lack academic resources. Data shows that student retention in college drops primarily because of three key areas: 1) A lack of social, academic, and career preparation 2) Poor management of unstructured environments 3) Failure to internalize college graduation as their identity. At Launch U, we believe that our college prep mentoring program and career exploration model can prepare students to overcome these hurdles via our academic and career preparation along with general life skills. The Launch U program ensures that each student now has an ally, via their mentor, has gone to college, graduated, and is a successful young working professional. For many students, that trajectory can seem foreign, and our mentors assure students that they are capable of achieving that same path. Launch U believes that when a student can envision a future for themselves that requires college, the option to leave college unfinished is off the table. Additionally, when students can build their network of professional mentors and contacts, they are able to seek employment in myriad industries upon graduation. Through these achievements, the landscape of education and employment in Chicago becomes a diverse and valuable asset to our community.