The Valedictorian Project

The Valedictorian Project is breaking down barriers to equity for its mentees, offering support with the goal of ensuring mentees finish college and are prepared to enter the workforce upon graduation. TVP serves mentees who have graduated from Boston, Lawrence, Brockton, and Worcester Public High Schools, respectively, as they transition from high school to their post secondary lives; all of TVP’s mentees are currently enrolled in college. 

Data collected by TVP about its first and second year participants shows that over 90% of mentees that participate in TVP’s program identify as people of color and over 70% come from a household where their parent/guardian(s) did not earn a bachelor’s degree or higher. Additionally, over 60% of mentees speak a second language, Spanish being the most common. 

TVP’s unique dual-mentor model, matches each mentee with both a peer and senior mentor to tackle their post-secondary journey. By providing two mentors, each with different experiences, TVP is able to provide mentees with a wide range of support and guidance. TVP actively recruits a diverse group of mentors, many of whom share similar identities to their mentees. All prospective mentors are required to complete an application and undergo an interview. Once matched and onboarded, mentors undergo regular training and are expected to connect regularly with their mentees no less than monthly. 

By providing individualized support through mentorship and supplemental programming, TVP is able to help mentees address issues that may have otherwise prevented them from successfully completing college. Our survey data from the class of 2021 shows financial pressure is one of the top stressors for our mentees. This is why, in 2020, we launched the Futures Fund– a stipend program to provide resources to mentees as they learn to navigate new or unexpected costs incurred while attending college. To date, the stipend has helped mentees in a wide range of ways, from allowing them to participate in campus activities, from providing a meal plan to a student who would otherwise have gone without reliable access to food. 

This Spring, we announced a partnership with the Rappaport Foundation, providing 16 of our mentees with a $5,000 summer stipend to support academic and career building activities over the summer. Some of our mentees have described the summer learning opportunities as life changing. 

Since its founding in 2020, TVP has experienced exponential growth among the number of mentees participating in the program, growing from 49 students in 2021 to just about 100 students participating this fall. In addition to the multi-year program term which welcomes current mentees to stay engaged with the program year over year, TVP has expanded geographically. It is TVP’s goal to continue to expand to other school systems, with hopes of supporting high achieving students in gateway cities like Lynn, Lowell, Holyoke, and Chelsea.