Q&A: How Braven Is Empowering Students to Launch Strong Careers

48% of high school students (both college-bound and non-college-bound) said that they feel anxious about exploring their future careers in a study by College Board and Morning Consult. But 9 in 10 students said they would like more career exploration opportunities in school. This is why providing students with access to career-relevant information, career-oriented courses, and work-based learning opportunities is crucial—and students are hungry for it.

College Board’s college and career-focused resources, courses, and assessments help them navigate postsecondary education and career pathways. To elevate schools and organizations that are providing students with career information and helping them build career-relevant skills, we are publishing a series of member spotlights to help illuminate why this work is so important—and how it’s changing lives.
 

Braven partners with higher ed and employers to help first-generation, Pell-eligible college students gain confidence and experiences while building professional skills and networks in order to secure a strong first opportunity after college graduation.

College Board sat down with Jonathan Chaparro, executive director of innovation and the leader of Braven’s Chicago region, to have an honest conversation about the need for career information and experiences in classrooms and to learn more about Braven’s impact on students’ lives.

College Board (CB): Equitable access to career information and resources is an ongoing issue. If we leave career and college planning up to students’ families or students themselves instead of offering those resources to ALL students inside the classroom, it’s hardly a level playing field. Can you speak to how Braven is helping bridge the access gap?

Jonathan Chaparro (JC): Yes, I'll start by saying—regardless of background—I think everyone can empathize with the fact that finding a good job, especially nowadays, is really, really difficult to do. Especially when interviewing for that first job out of college in particular, it can be very nerve-wracking. [Braven] is specifically focused on students who are the first in their families to go to college, or those coming from humble beginnings. Why? Research shows that bachelor’s degree holders from low-income backgrounds start their careers earning about two-thirds as much as those from higher-income backgrounds (Source: Brookings Institution). In other words, students from low-income backgrounds earn an average of 66 cents on the dollar compared to peers who come from higher-income households.  

I think a lot of that is tied to career awareness—understanding (or not understanding) the different opportunities that are available to you because of the degree that you've worked so hard to get, or the durable skills that employers are looking for. Some of those professional skills are taught at the kitchen table, right? If you're growing up in an upper middle-class, higher income family, you might know how to network a little bit better because you've been to events with your parents at their jobs, you've seen them in action. A lot of what we're doing is helping to demystify these things for students who may not necessarily know what goes into landing a strong job.

CB: That is powerful framing, “skills that are taught at the kitchen table.” So true– not everyone has the same kitchen table, so to speak.

Switching gears a bit, Braven partners with higher education institutions to offer a credit-earning course that equips students (aka “Braven Fellows”) with the skills they need to apply for an internship or job. What are some examples of the work and learnings that a Braven Fellow would experience while taking that course?

JC: The course focuses on the five core skills that we know are essential when a student is applying for an internship or job: Self-driven leadership, problem-solving, operating and managing, networking and communicating, and working in teams.

We focus on these five core skills because we spent a lot of time listening to employers and their needs across industries. We wanted to identify the skills that young talent needs the most support developing. Time and time again in these conversations, employers kept coming back to these five skills regardless of the industry.   

What I love is that the course is almost like a flipped classroom model, meaning 80% of the learning is online, and the remaining 20% is taught live—either virtually or in-person—by volunteers that we call Leadership Coaches. They help the students contextualize what they’re learning by speaking to their personal experiences in the workforce. For example, a student might get through all of college without having to deliver constructive criticism to a peer, or on the flip side, maybe they’ve never received difficult feedback on their performance. The Leadership Coach can speak to how difficult that can be and how they navigated it professionally. The coaches also help expand social capital for students in their industry of interest by tapping into their own networks, as professional networks can vary from student to student.

CB: Those are the kinds of interactions that you really don’t experience until you’re on the job, and it can be hard to handle it well when nothing has prepared you for that exact moment. Sounds like it would be a valuable core course for all students to take!

So, Braven partners with higher ed institutions and employers, but do you have any advice for high school educators who want to help their students better prepare for their career pathways?

JC: Definitely. You know, high school is such a prime opportunity to learn how to learn…to explore your passions, stick with something, and sharpen your skills in that area. And teachers play such a critical role in that! How students continue to learn and develop as college students and/or professionals will help them for the rest of their lives. 

I always say “purpose drives persistence.” People sometimes think, “Oh, if I go to college all will be well, it’s the golden ticket.” But that’s just not the case. Sure, a college degree still gives you the surest path to economic mobility, but it’s not that simple. To better the odds of landing a strong first job, students need the chance to understand different career pathways, how those line up with their passions and skills, and opportunities to build professional skills—ideally starting in high school to guide them on their higher ed journey as well.

If a teacher can help a student explore what’s out there and dig into their “why,” they will be doing a huge service for that student as they build confidence and go on to choose a major and, ultimately, a career path. 
 

Do you work for a school, college, or organization that is passionate about helping students access career information and opportunities? We’d love to hear your story! Contact us here.