The Opportunity Network

Consistently, research underscores the power of a four-year degree for a young person’s ability to realize a life full of choice, opportunity, and enduring success.

Yet, college graduation rates for underrepresented students hover at a staggering 30%. And further, only a third of college graduates report having a job upon graduation.

This is in stark contrast with a recent study that determined 58% of students in college decide to attend primarily for job attainment, and a staggering 2.4 million jobs are estimated to be left unfilled over the next decade.

A constellation of structural factors accounts for this disconnect, factors that are magnified in the lives of students of color from low-income communities because of our country’s history of educational inequity across race and class.

History that has shaped an ineffective college and career landscape where, for every one high school counselor, there are nearly 500 students they are expected to support, resulting in a mere 38 minutes of college and career guidance for each student.

Coupled with this injustice is the working assumption by far too many colleges that a career is an implied outcome of a college degree.

This is despite 51% of college students stating that internships throughout their studies would help them feel more prepared for careers, and a study finding that across all industries, students with internship experience had a 56% higher offer rate.

This is exactly why our six-year, multi-dimensional OppNet Fellows program for underrepresented students across New York City integrates individualized support for students to and through college – from college tours to financial aid guidance to selecting a major to tracking graduation requirements – with five summers of paid, resume-building internships and enrichment experiences. All of this runs alongside robust opportunities to engage with a variety of industry professionals that lead to an early network of support for career growth.

This is also why 96% of OppNet Fellows graduate from college, 93% of whom will be the first in the family to do so, and 89% secure jobs that align with their career interests or admission into graduate school within six months of college graduation.

Additionally, anchored in our Career Fluency^® model, which articulates the necessary skills and mindsets for college and career readiness, OppNet’s Career Fluency^® Partnerships program provides critical capacity-building for schools and organizations across the country seeking to amplify postsecondary outcomes for their students. Our Partnerships program is driving the national shift towards educational equity and success for underrepresented students in our increasingly complex and diverse society, reaching 320,000 students across 25 cities in eight states this year alone.

This is OppNet.

What OppNet Fellows & Alumni Are Saying

Ashley St. John, OppNet Class of 2016

OppNet and Lafayette College Alum | PhD Student at Boston University

To college.

To career.

To thrive.

Want to apply to our Fellows program?

Our Mission

Our Work and
The College and Career Opportunity Landscape

No single solution is enough to drive equity across the education and career development landscape, and democratize access for all students to create a life where their ambition, talent, and passion can match endlessly with opportunity and choice.

This is OppNet.

And this is the work we do to expand the promise of college, career, and postsecondary opportunity for all students.

OppNet Fellows Program

Career Fluency^® Partnerships Program

To college. To career. To thrive.

Want to apply to our Fellows program?

Our Mission

Our Work and The College and Career Opportunity Landscape

No single solution is enough to drive equity across the education and career development landscape, and democratize access for all students to create a life where their ambition, talent, and passion can match endlessly with opportunity and choice.

This is OppNet.

And this is the work we do to expand the promise of college, career, and postsecondary opportunity for all students.

OppNet Fellows Program

Career Fluency® Partnerships Program

To college.

To career.

To thrive.

Our Work and
The College and Career Opportunity Landscape

Career Fluency^® Partnerships Program