2021 was our first full year of programming in a pandemic, and I’m proud to announce that we exceeded the organizational goals we set for ourselves in 2020. 

Through OppNet Fellows, we are serving more than 1,000 young people across our six-year program. One-hundred percent of our Fellows graduated high school and 100% of them were accepted to college: 99% to four-year colleges, and 1% began at two-year schools. And we’re so excited to report that 82% of our Fellows Class of 2020 secured interest-aligned employment or graduate school admission within six months of college graduation. OppNet continues to support our Class of 2021 to ensure they secure post-graduate placements and will have final information on their positions in early calendar year 2022.

We expanded our Career Fluency®Partnerships geographic reach and now collaborate with 44 Partners across 14 states and 21 cities. To date, we’ve trained 750 of our partners’ staff members in our Career Fluency® curriculum, which reached over 10,000 students across the country this year alone!

We launched a brand new program Opportunity Ignited, our consultative practice serving employers who want to build more inclusive workplaces. Hitting the ground running, in this inaugural year we partnered with 13 alternative investment companies, trained 52 mentors, and placed 20 Fellows at these firms. We’re actively recruiting new partners now! 

As 2021 closes, OppNet remains energized by our dedicated Fellows, staff, partners, our Alumni Leadership Council, Student Board of Directors, and our Board and Associate Board members. Through this collective effort and our continued commitment to centering racial and social equity, we move into 2022 poised to thrive. Thank you for being a part of this work, and a part of our OppNet community. 

P.S. On a quick final note: OppNet will be closed the last two weeks of December to allow for our diligent and dedicated staff to relax and restore at the end of the year. We hope that you can find time to recharge, too!

AiLun Ku

President and CEO

CAREER FLUENCY® PARTNERSHIPS

Last month, OppNet and TandemEd hosted a virtual community celebration to commemorate our two-year partnership centered around advancing racial equity among Black communities in Detroit, Newark, and New Orleans. We held citywide workshops for counselors on culturally-relevant, student-centered college and career exploration in Detroit and New Orleans, and created a paid summer internship program that reached some 800 young people in Newark. 

WELLNESS AT OPPNET 

Last month OppNet’s Wellness Team joined with Bottom Line to host a virtual conversation addressing myths and misconceptions around COVID-19 vaccinations. Students and their family members came together to hear from a panel of medical professionals who provided invaluable expertise on the benefits of vaccinations, as well as career exposure for students interested in working in healthcare.

OPPORTUNITY TALKS

OppNet is honored to have been joined by Denise Woodard, Founder & CEO of Partake Foods, a line of nationally distributed foods for those with dietary restrictions. Since launching in 2017, Denise grew Partake Foods into a multimillion dollar company with products in over 7,000 locations nationwide, helping to open doors for more Black and female entrepreneurs across the food industry. To watch Denise speak on the importance of mentorship, click here. 

OPPNET BOARD UPDATES

OppNet is excited to announce our two new Associate Board Co-Chairs: Adriana Salazar and Parker Rhodes! Adriana Salazar is a Managing Director at Cowen, and Parker Rhodes is an Executive on the Investor Relations and Fundraising team at Cinven. To read more about their work, click here. We are grateful for their leadership!

THERE'S STILL TIME TO MAKE AN IMPACT IN 2021!

Since our founding in 2003, we’ve grown from serving 10 students to over 1,000 this year in our New York City- based Fellows program, expanded our student-centered model nationally through our network of community-based partners, grown our network of corporate supporters, and provided our students access to workplace skills, summer internships and enrichment programs with 200+ employer partners. This is all thanks to you, our steadfast community of friends, partners, and volunteers, and we invite you to join us again this year by making an end-of-year gift  to support all of our work.

Your support matters and makes our efforts to reach and serve more young people year after year possible. We hope you will make a gift today. 

New York, NY (March 9, 2022) - The Opportunity Network, a national nonprofit headquartered in New York City aimed at closing the opportunity gap that exists for underrepresented students, today announced that it has appointed Joy Booker to Board Secretary and added Molly Stern and Caron Veazey to its Board of Directors effective January 26. They join a robust board of executives focused on equipping high school and college students with the skills and experiences to harness their power and passions to thrive through college and build sustainable careers.

“We’re thrilled to elevate Joy to Board Secretary and to welcome Molly and Caron, two brilliant minds who also share our passion for uplifting underserved communities, as our newest board members,” said AiLun Ku, President and CEO of The Opportunity Network. “Joy has demonstrated a keen understanding of The Opportunity Network's goals and her insight will prove invaluable to us as we continue to grow our impact. And I’m confident Molly and Caron’s wealth of relevant leadership experience and marketing prowess will undoubtedly help us further our mission of building equitable structures of access, and increasing professional mobility for underrepresented students across the country. ”

Booker has served on the Board of Directors of The Opportunity Network since 2019. She is the Managing Director, Head of U.S. Public Client Relations at PineBridge Investments, a multi-asset class investment management firm with over $100 billion in assets. Prior to PineBridge, she served as a Principal at Mercer, a Vice President at Madison Square Investors and an Assistant Vice President at The New York Life Insurance Company. Booker previously served terms as Board Member, President and Vice-President of the Executive Leadership Council’s affiliate group, CALIBR, reached  finalist status in the Acumen Fund’s Global Fellows Program and is a Network Journal “40 Under Forty” career achievement honoree. 

Stern is a seasoned book publisher with more than 25 years of publishing experience and  Founder and CEO of Zando, one of today’s most disruptive book publishing ventures. Stern has a proven track record leading editorial and publishing teams, launching imprints and developing their identities through the acquisition and publishing of a wide breadth of individual titles. Prior to launching Zando, Stern served as SVP of The Crown Publishing Group where she released Michelle Obama’s memoir, “Becoming,” which sold more than two million copies in its first two weeks and helped actress Sarah Jessica Parker start her own literary fiction imprint.

Veazey is the Founder and CEO of Something In Common, a boutique management and consulting company focusing in the music, film, art, and culture spaces. Prior to launching Something in Common, Veazey managed Grammy Award winning artist, Pharrell Williams, with whom she Co-founded creative collective ‘i am OTHER.’ Under her leadership as general manager of i am OTHER, the collective amassed five Cannes Lions awards for creative and innovative excellence. Veazey has previously held executive roles at Sony Music and Universal Music and currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Black Music Action Coalition.

About The Opportunity Network 

The Opportunity Network (OppNet) is led by social impact leader AiLun Ku with the intention of creating access and opportunities for historically underrepresented students on their paths to and through college and into thriving careers. Through robust college counseling, intentional engagement with leaders and professionals across industries, intensive training in networking, and professional experiential learning, OppNet  students are able to harness their agency to achieve their academic and career goals. In the past year alone, OppNet reached more than 10,000 students through our commitment to closing the opportunity gap. For more information, visit https://opportunitynetwork.org/. 

Contact

media@opportunitynetwork.org

This Black History Month, we're turning our attention towards a quote from writer and activist Adrienne Maree Brown on the transformative power of listening.This month and every month, OppNet invites you to embody Brown’s words and listen to Black voices – all Black voices. Below, we highlight the work of three Black female changemakers who are reshaping their industries, and who inspire all of us working to build a more just world.

 “We are socialized to see what is wrong, missing, off, to tear down the ideas of others and uplift our own. To a certain degree, our entire future may depend on learning to listen, listen without assumptions or defenses.”

Adrienne Maree Brown

339%.

That’s the percentage increase of anti-Asian hate crimes reported in 2021. We are barely two months into 2022, and we are already grieving the brutal, senseless losses of Michelle Alyssa Go and Christina Yuna Lee.

To my fellow AAPI community members:

I see you. 

I hurt with you. 

I grieve with you. 

I care for you. 

I am with you.

And I know we’ll keep holding on because we’re strong even though we’re tired. We’ll keep fighting even though we’re scared. 

We will continue to live life to the fullest because we deserve to.

AiLun Ku

President and CEO

To learn more, find ways to support, and spread awareness, explore and follow these organizations: 

National AAPI Anti-Hate Organizations: 

• Stop AAPI Hate (IG: @aapihate)
• Asian Americans Advancing Justice

New York City-Based AAPI Anti-Hate Organizations: 

• Asian American Federation (IG: @aafederation)
• Asian Americans for Equality (IG: @aafenyc)
• Coalition for Asian American Children + Families (IG: @cacf) 
• National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (IG: @napawfnyc)

AAPI-Specific Support Service Providers:

• Asian Mental Health Collective (IG: @asianmentalhealthcollective) - mental health support
• Asian American Legal Defense Fund (IG: @aaldef) - legal support
• Heart of Dinner (IG: @heartofdinner) - food delivery for elders

Other Support Service Providers: 

• NYC.Gov Stop Asian Hate - anti-harassment and safety toolkit
• Mobilization for Justice (Twitter: @mfjlegal) - legal support 
• The Legal Aid Society (IG: @legalaidnyc) - legal support

LGBTQIA+ AAPI-Specific Anti-Hate Organizations in NYC:

• GAPIMNY (IG: @gapimny)
• Q-Wave (IG: @qwavenyc) 
• SALGA NYC (IG: @salganyc)

Other Social Media Pages to Follow for News and Updates:

• @aapiwomenlead
• @hateisavirus
• @asians4antiracism
• @acttochange

To report an incident of Anti-Asian violence, visit nyc.gov/stopasianhate or fill out the Asian American Federation’s Anti-Asian Bias Reporting Form. 

For Native American Heritage month, we turn our attention to a quote from Ojibwe activist, environmentalist, and writer Winona LaDuke. Known for her decades of work in service of tribal land preservation, sustainable development, and Indigenous self-determination, LaDuke embodies perseverance. Her words remind us that the strength we need to keep going is always inside of us, waiting to be activated.

What we all need to do is find the wellspring that keeps us going, that gives us the strength and patience to keep up this struggle for a long time. 

Winona LaDuke

As Thanksgiving approaches, I'd like to pause and reflect on the many things we have to be grateful for this year.

First and foremost, I am thankful for our staff every day. A team of dedicated, passionate, and talented individuals that bring their open hearts and full selves to OppNet to continue doing the excellent work in support of our students and partners. Every outcome we drive, every dollar we raise, every story we tell, and every impact we make are all only possible because of the people that work at OppNet. I count my lucky stars to be among the best.

I'm grateful for the generous support of our Board, Associate Board, and community of supporters. Thanks to all of you, OppNet staved off the need to curtail our programming or to downsize our staff. Instead, we are growing to serve even more young people this year than ever before and we are expanding our team.

Finally, I am thankful for the strength, resilience, and brilliance of the young people we have the honor of serving -- Fellows and students who have braved uncertainty and accomplished big, impressive things. You are the reason our shared future looks so bright -- thank you for being you!

If you would like to support the work that OppNet does and help students maximize their experience, please consider making a donation through our website. Each donation goes towards helping Fellows and the young people we serve navigate and thrive in college and the workplace.

In closing, I'd like to open up the conversation to share with you some of our staff's reflections on thankfulness. May we all find the space to share our gratitude this season, and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones!

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

OppNet Staff Reflections: What We Are Grateful For

"This year, our second programming year in a pandemic, I am grateful for the kindness, understanding, self-awareness, humility, and connection that I see and experience from our Fellows and OppNet staff and community."

– Chelsea Frosini, Director of Programs

"I'm grateful for how supportive my supervisors and everyone on the Partnerships team has been during my time at OppNet. I've gotten the opportunity to work on a variety of different projects, and learn a lot about wellness, DEI practices, and asset-based mentorship and supervision."

– Kelley Zhao, Partnerships Program Intern

"I'm truly grateful to not only be employed by OppNet but also to be a true partner in the community. It is the focus put on constantly reflecting on our work, the focus on centering the "why" and "for whom" that makes me feel thankful."

– Emmanuel Moses, Associate Director of College Guidance & Transition

"In a time filled with so much uncertainty, I find solace in the blessings of my faith, health, family, friends, education, and career."

– Alexandra Garcia, Senior Coordinator, Student Services and Program Operations

"I'm grateful to learn and grow beside thoughtful, values-aligned colleagues, Fellows, and Partners."

– Samantha Alcalá, Senior Partnerships & Advocacy Manager

"I have been grateful for the opportunity to have "human check-ins" during brief moments in breakout rooms or net-breakers, scheduled lunches or coffee chats, or even casual exchanges at the beginning or end of a meeting."

– Carl Jackman, LMSW, Assistant Director of Wellness Support

FELLOWS RECRUITMENT

Recruitment for our Fellows class of 2028 has begun! Every year, around 500 10th graders apply to join OppNet's Fellows program, with 160 new students becoming part of our 1000+ strong community. Throughout their 6-year experience, Fellows cultivate their passions and integrate personal growth with college and career readiness still to pave the way for their success during and after college. To learn more about our Fellows program and access the application for the class of 2028, click here. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SPEED NETWORKING

Sign up to volunteer with OppNet at Speed Networking on December 6, 7, or 8th! We invite you to join our 11th grade Fellows for a fun and dynamic night of virtual networking and career exploration. Each session will take place from 5:30 to 7pm EST. Click here for more information and to register your interest in volunteering. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CAREER FLUENCY® PARTNERSHIPS

Our Partnerships team is excited to kick off work with a new partner, John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Working with the college's team of advisors, OppNet's partnership aims to support and uplift students through career readiness programming and mentorship, reaching 14,000 students in total!

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

OPPORTUNITY TALKS

OppNet is honored to have been joined by Caron Veazey, former manager of Pharrell Williams and Founder & CEO of Something in Common, a management and consulting firm focusing on music and culture. We're so grateful for the wisdom she shared with the OppNet community. 

Save the date for our next Opportunity Talk on November 17th, from 4-5pm with Denise Woodard, Founder & CEO of Partake Foods, a line of nationally distributed foods for those with dietary restrictions. RSVP here!

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OPPNET IN THE MEDIA 

In October, OppNet's President and CEO AiLun Ku shared insights into her professional trajectory at the 2021 National College Attainment Network (NCAN) Annual Conference, Rebuilding for Postsecondary Equity.

CEO AiLun Ku also spoke at the Grantmakers for Education Annual Conference's October 22 panel, Setting Up for Success: Supporting Leaders of Color During this Crucial Time, discussing how the philanthropic sector can support leaders of color as they transition into ED & CEO roles.

Jessica Pliska, OppNet Founder and Head of Leadership Giving, interviewed Xavier Riley, head of digital strategy and innovation at Standard Industries, for Forbes. To learn more about Riley's personal and career influences, read the full article here.

We kick-off #HispanicHeritageMonth with a quote from Cherrie Moraga, writer, playwright, and essayist active in the Chicana, feminist, and queer communities. Her words fill us with hope and perseverance in the face of what may seem like a "breakdown"—which she reveals can often become a "breakthrough" that activates the power that has always been within us.

Sometimes a breakdown can be the beginning of a kind of breakthrough, a way of living in advance through a trauma that prepares you for a future of radical transformation.

Cherrie Moraga

NEW YORK, Aug. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Coach Foundation today announces its commitment to support 5,000 students with scholarships through non-profit partners by 2025 as part of its global Dream It Real initiative. This commitment is the latest endeavor in the foundation's ongoing mission to help break cycles of inequality by empowering the next generation to reach their full potential through higher education.

To reach 5,000 scholarships by 2025, the program will partner with non-profit organizations around the world that are working to drive equity in educational opportunities for all young people. In the United States, the program will support students from underrepresented communities by granting them four years of continued scholarship and mentorship through non-profit partners including The Opportunity Network and Bottom Line. Dream It Real's global reach includes parallel programs in North America, China, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

To mark this auspicious moment, Coach is celebrating its first Dream Week from August 9 to August 16 with 5 percent of sales in North America—up to $1 million—donated to the Dream It Real Fund and 5 percent of sales in the United Kingdom—up to $150,000—donated to the UK Youth charity. Customers in store can also personalize Coach bags with limited-edition Dream It Real motifs made in collaboration with six artists, inspired by the stories of Dream It Real students.

"We are proud to announce our commitment to providing 5,000 scholarships with our first Dream Week, a renewal of our dedication to help support the next generation as they pursue their passions and help break cycles of inequality," said CEO and Brand President of Coach Todd Kahn. "Realizing dreams is incredibly important to us at Coach, going back to our earliest days as a small, family-run workshop in New York City. Today, we believe in the power of dreams to not only enable each of us to become our best selves—but to help make the world a better place, dream by dream."

Coach will also feature interviews and portraits with Dream It Real students on its brand channels, sharing their dreams and how Dream It Real and the Coach Foundation have supported them along the way. Part of the "With Friends" Fall 2021 campaign narrative, these interviews highlight how the people around us support and inspire us to pursue our dreams. The photographs and films were made in collaboration with creatives around the world, including Andy Jackson, Danilo Parra, Sophie Green, Tom Ivin, Bilal Ali, Diego Liu and Monika Mogi.

Since the launch of Dream It Real in 2018, Coach and the Coach Foundation have donated over $20 million in financial and product donations as part of the program's mission focused on scholarship, mentorship, and opportunity for young people from underrepresented communities around the world.

In honor of Dream Week, Coach will also release a new episode of Coach Conversations in August focused on pursuing your passion through education.

Shop Dream Week here.

See the campaign here.

About the Coach Foundation
Founded in 2008, the Coach Foundation brings Coach's philanthropic initiatives to life. To date, it has granted more than $60 million to non-profit partners all over the world to do its small part to make big dreams possible.

About Dream It Real 
To help break cycles of inequality, Dream It Real empowers the next generation to reach their full potential through higher education. The program supports non-profits around the world working to help young people pursue their paths and purpose.

About Coach
Coach is a global fashion house founded in New York in 1941. Inspired by the vision of Creative Director Stuart Vevers and the inclusive and courageous spirit of its hometown, the brand makes beautiful things, crafted to last—for you to be yourself in.

Coach is a Tapestry, Inc. brand.  Tapestry is publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker TPR.

SOCIAL MEDIA: @Coach; #CoachNY

CONTACT:
Brooke Hudson, Senior Manager, Global Brand Communications
212 594 1850 ext. 101639 / bhudson@coach.com

SOURCE Coach, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.coach.com

Read the original article here.

Read the original here.

Summer is in full swing at OppNet! While the summer represents the close of the school year, our community continues to take action and take care throughout the summer months.

Our newest class of 167 11th grade Fellows are attending our annual Summer Institute, an intensive two-week orientation program where they will gain foundational knowledge of our Career Fluency^® curriculum. Additionally, from internships and career exposure programs to college test prep and summer classes, the rest of our Fellows are exploring their options as they continue to refine their own definitions of success. We continue celebrating students through our #SummerOfOpportunity campaign, as well as the impact of our community of supporters – including generous donors to this year's virtual Opportunity On-Demand Gala, the growth of our Board of Directors, and our most recent partnership with and grant from Salesforce . We are also continuing conversations on racial equity, career exploration, and increasing opportunity with amazing individuals like New York Managing Partner at Deloitte, Roger G. Arrieux, Jr. through our Opportunity Talks series, as well as longtime partners such as Macquarie.

The heat is real this summer, as our community is as active as ever in realizing our vision to equip learners with the tools to thrive in college, in career and beyond. We hope you will join us!

We are so proud to have hosted our first-ever Opportunity On-Demand Gala, a virtual experience celebrating our community of supporters and showcasing the incredible stories of our student and alumni Opportunity Award Recipients.

Thank you to all who rallied to support OppNet so generously this year and who we are proud to feature on our Gala website. This year we raised over $2.6MM to support our work to break down barriers to opportunity for the 10,000+ first-generation college students of color we serve throughout NYC and the country.

A special thank you to the Meringoff Family Foundation for matching donations dollar for dollar up to $25,000 and strengthening OppNet’s internship and enrichment programming for our Fellows this summer. And if you haven’t yet, there’s still time to donate and double the impact of your gift.

We are hopeful that we will be able to celebrate safely together at Cipriani Wall Street next year and can’t wait to see you there! 

FELLOWS IN ACTION

From our newest class of 11th graders to our seasoned college students, our Fellows community is rigorously preparing for their next steps. Whether it's laying down the foundations of college and career success through Summer Institute, preparing stellar college applications through our College Application Boot Camp, or engaging in college and career readiness lessons through our Summer Series, our Fellows are working hard this summer towards their unique definitions of success.

CAREER FLUENCY^® PARTNERSHIP UPDATES

Our Partnerships team continued their work with Newark’s summer youth employment program, where 260 young people in Newark will experience OppNet’s Summer Science Research Program (SSRP). We are also excited to announce a new partner, High School for Health Careers and Sciences, a bilingual (English/Spanish) community high school in Washington Heights. The team is working on translating 8 lessons from English to Spanish for grades 11 and 12 during the 2021-22 school year.

OPPORTUNITY TALKS 

We are honored to have been joined by Roger G. Arrieux, Jr., New York Managing Partner at Deloitte for our Opportunity Talks Virtual Fireside Chat series last month! We are so grateful for the wisdom he imparted to our Fellows and wider OppNet community. Check out this clip from our conversation with Roger on the value of a network—and going beyond a single handshake.

For more clips from our previous speakers, check out our YouTube playlist.