Bottom Line partners with degree-aspiring students of color from under-resourced communities
to get into and through college and successfully launch a career in the US
Current Project
66% women, 34% men, mostly people of color (37% black, 26% Hispanic and 26% Asian), all of them from social classes with very few resources and many first- or second-generation immigrants to the United States. These are the students affiliated with Bottom Line, an organization that works in various US states to create the first generation of college-educated young people from the most disadvantaged backgrounds who are able to access decent jobs and set an example that breaks the cycle of poverty for the next generation. These are talented students with the potential to complete their university studies and create a far-reaching ripple effect, starting with the transformative power of their degree, followed by the development of a successful career, thereby transforming individuals, families and entire communities.
The problems an under-resourced student faces in order to graduate are not merely financial. An inability to adapt to the academic and social setting results in many young people abandoning their studies before gaining the degree that would open doors for them professionally.
Bottom Line supports students in the application and financial aid processes and organizes transition programs each summer that teach students everything from how to read a college syllabus to what life is like on a college campus. The goal is for young people to gain sufficient knowledge to allow them to cope with college life and get them ready to learn.
Another key element of their approach involves providing each student with a dedicated and knowledgeable Success Advisor who supports them as they develop their unique pathway to university. These relationships with students are carefully nurtured from the time they begin their junior or senior year in high school. And the relationship does not end when the students graduate; the bonds and connections are so strong that, in many cases, the communication continues beyond the university stage. In some cases, the personal relationship even transcends the professional one.
Moreover, to provide access to employment, Bottom Line helps students determine what their interests are and teaches them about job market trends in order to focus on the best way of joining the working world.
Thanks to the support of Fundación MAPFRE, in the 2022-2023 academic year more than 310 students will be able to attend college. Of these, 70% will graduate and build a future full of opportunities.
