President Obama recognizes iMentor at White House summit

iMentor CEO Mike O'Brien attended a White House summit where President Barack Obama spoke about iMentor’s work to ensure young people have the opportunity to succeed in college and achieve their ambitions. In a room filled with representatives from colleges and nonprofits who are leading a national effort to expand college opportunity, President Obama announced iMentor’s commitment to match 20,000 new students in more than 20 states with mentors over the next five years.

Prior to the summit, President Obama issued a call to action in advance of the summit, asking each attendee to identify concrete plans to achieve four goals: connect more low-incomes students to colleges that are right for them, increase the pool of students preparing for college through early intervention, level the playing field in college advising and test preparation, and help academically underprepared students progress through and complete college. The White House has highlighted our commitment as an effective strategy for preparing students from low-income communities for college. View an infographic about commitments from the summit, including iMentor's.

iMentor will achieve our goal by expanding our program in New York City, replicating our direct-service program to Chicago and the Bay Area, and growing our national partnerships. Through all of these initiatives, we will match first-generation college students from low-income communities in mentoring relationships that help students nurture a college aspiration, navigate the college application process, and build critical skills that lead to college success.

With the continued help of our volunteers and high school and nonprofit partners, iMentor is excited to further realize our goal to leverage mentoring for college success for our students and schools. Our commitment is possible thanks to our generous growth funders:

Robertson Foundation
The Yellow Chair Foundation
The Samberg Family Foundation
The Bezos Family Foundation
Stephanie and Chase Coleman
The Coatue Management Foundation
iMentor Board of Directors