BOSTON – A Boston nonprofit is helping hundreds of students make higher education more diverse and accessible through networking events.
Helping students obtain a diploma
Leadership Brainery is a nonprofit organization focused on expanding access to higher education to increase diversity in leadership roles.
They hosted the sixth annual Graduate School Summit and Change Can’t Wait Awards event on Saturday, giving students access to admissions counseling, test prep sessions, a recruitment fair, financial aid, headshots and more.
“If you think about our lawyers, our doctors, our dentists, our psychologists, 80% of our United States Senate has a college degree. Our leadership in our country is made up of people who have achieved the highest levels of education, so they have the highest levels of leadership and the highest levels of influence, that’s why it’s so important,” said Leadership Brainery Co-Founder and Executive Director Derrick Young.
Each year, Leadership Brainery engages some of the nation’s most competitive graduate schools to engage with students and provide advice and opportunities.
“We have Boston University Harvard, Stanford, Cornell, UPenn, top schools saying, ‘Hey, we need to increase our diversity in our master’s and doctoral programs, so we’re working with Leadership Brainery to find that incredible talent,’” Young said .
There were 200 students present
25-year-old Danielle Gathers graduated from MIT and is now a student at Harvard Law School. She says Leadership Brainery has had a huge impact on her education and career path.
“Thanks to their support, I became the first black female student body president at MIT. Through them, I met the Dean of Admission at Harvard Law, then I went to Harvard and they have supported me throughout my journey,” she said. .
This year, more than 200 students participated in the Leadership Brainery Graduate School Summit. It offers pathways and opportunities for master’s and doctoral degrees.
The hope is to inspire other younger students to pursue their dreams, just as Leadership Brainery helped find hers.
“It’s really important to lift as we climb. So I’m really inspired by the idea of impacting other Black women, making sure there are STEM opportunities available to them, law school opportunities and just generally to ensure that leadership is top of mind,” said Collect.
Paul Burton
