College graduates from low-income families still lag peers in job placements. Braven is changing that
2018 Catalyst Fund Awardee
Aimée Eubanks Davis
Venture
BravenProgram
Catalyst FundLocation
United States
CATALYST FUND AWARDEE
Founded by talent development expert Aimée Eubanks Davis, Braven is revolutionizing employability training so that all students can begin careers worthy of their degrees. Braven’s courses on resumé-building, interviewing, and other skills are credit-bearing, meaning students on financial aid and working part-time can afford to invest in them. These courses are taught by volunteers from local employers - which reduces the burden on underfunded schools, gives leadership skills and volunteering opportunities to local companies, and establishes a new relationship between employers and prospective hires from marginalized communities. After great success at Rutgers-Newark and other schools, Braven is poised to scale rapidly at public universities across the country.
Institutions need to intentionally teach—just like they do English and Chemistry—the professional competencies that are required in the workplace, as well as create opportunities for students to build their networks.
Aimée Eubanks Davis has an exceptional career in education and talent development, beginning by teaching sixth grade for an early Teach for America site in New Orleans and eventually becoming TFA’s Head of Talent. Aimée’s many experiences, from being a low-income student to being a teacher to working on education at the national level, led to Braven’s mission to achieve better results for vulnerable students. Aimée is a 2020 Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow, 2019 Obama Fellow, an Aspen Global Leadership Network Fellow, Braddock scholar and more, currently residing in Chicago.
3300
Number of Braven Fellows
95%
of Braven Fellows are persisting in or have graduated from college
70%
of Braven grads have strong job employment after 6 months of graduating
Dyllan Brown Bramble, Braven Fellow
Braven Fellows