Letter to Our Stakeholders, Fall 2021

Hope this letter finds you enjoying a fun and relaxing summer.   Ours was quite productive and exciting — full of new initiatives, summer programming, and preparation for our 2021 graduates (and even some 2020 graduates) anxiously readying for that first step on their new college campuses!   Thanks for your continuous support; please let us share what you enabled this past quarter.

Summer Programming

One integral part of Minds Matter’s 3-year programming is getting ahead through summer opportunities.  Throughout our organization’s history, we have partnered with the country’s most selective universities to enroll our students in pre-college residential summer opportunities to our students free of charge to families.

However, for the second summer in a row, COVID kept most pre-college programs running virtually. Yet, Minds Matter’s nimble model allowed us to adapt quickly and offer students even more new opportunities in virtual learning, research projects and remote internships.  In the words of Max L., a rising senior, ‘I have participated in three great programs this summer, all through Minds Matter and loved every minute.”

• Permira, one of the world’s largest private equity companies, virtually hosted nearly 60 Minds Matter students for a week full of virtual sessions with executive speakers sharing about careers in industry and finance.   
• In early July, we launched the inaugural Minds Matter National Summer Internship Program in partnership with Known.  During the five-week program, 20 CEOs and C-level executives—from companies like Amazon Studios, Motorola Solutions, Riot Games, and Stamps.com—trained our 22 Minds Matter student interns.   These interns then applied those learnings to real-world MM-related projects in small teams supported by volunteers and marketing experts. See the student-created highlights video here.  
• Black Rock and NBCUniversal hosted similar career readiness programs for students interested in finance and media, respectively. 
• Virtual learning continues through our special Coursera partnership offering free self-paced online college courses.  This summer, our mentees enrolled in 153 unique courses ranging from coding to calculus to mental health related topics.

They are off to Harvard, Howard, Yale, and more.  Our newest alumni class includes 296 bright young scholars, our largest class ever!    They will step onto 128 different college campuses this month; 77% will matriculate to selective institutions, according to Barron’s.  Our full college matriculation list is found here.

Minds Matter’s 30-year track record of ensuring 100% of seniors gain acceptance to least one four-year college remains in tact.  Affordability is another key goal; our financial aid guidance — provided by volunteer advisors and mentors — resulted in an average of 80% of first year financial needs met through scholarships or other financial assistance.

This July, we launched a new Alumni Pathways Speakers Series, with the kickoff talk entitled “From Minds Matter to CEO.”  This panel featured three alumni speakers now leading their own startups in an effort to inspire current students to consider entrepreneurship.  Check out the replay video here!

Our next talk, “From Minds Matter to Doctor” will take place Sunday, September 26th, 2021 at 7 pm ET. Want to join, sponsor, or get more involved?  Please let us know at admin@mindsmatter.org.

CEO Search: Investing in the Growth of Minds Matter

Minds Matter National recently launched a formal search for the organization’s next CEO.  We seek a dynamic leader to partner with our 14 chapters and National Board of Directors to take our organization to an even higher level, facilitating our long-term growth and continued program success.  We partnered with leading global search firm Egon Zehnder, who has generously agreed to work with us on a pro bono basis on this important project.  Role description is available here.  Please join us in encouraging any interested, qualified candidates to submit a cover letter and resume to mindsmatter@egonzehnder.com.

Finally, we cannot thank you enough for your continued support of Minds Matter’s work. Without you, none of this is possible.

Sincerely,
Ashish Shah and Leanne Huebner
National Board Co-Chairs